


Gold

by Obsessedminddumpster



Category: The Tick (TV 2017)
Genre: Gay, M/M, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 14:44:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 46
Words: 24,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18593407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsessedminddumpster/pseuds/Obsessedminddumpster
Summary: The Tick and Arthur fall in love.Not a lot of plot until the end, but still very good 👌Good-- no-- great boys.Lots of fluff.Lots of kissing.Lots of passion.Lots of love.Lots of making out.Precious doggo.Entitled parent cameo.46 chapters.I'm bad at bios.I wanna make a sequel.Please leave a comment! On all, some, or only the end! I appreciate it!Kudos are also nice! Show me that you like it! (I might have another very precious Ticthur book coming up!!)Started - 4/6/19Ended - 4/25/19Uploaded - 4/28/19





	1. Drifting Off

Arthur held his hand up. “We did it!” He exclaimed excitedly. 

The big hand of his friend hit his palm. “Hooray for us!” He looked excited, too, his antennae flicked back in delight. When Arthur pulled his hand away, the blue superhero bounced happily. “What did we do?” He asked, eyes sparkling.

Arthur frowned. “What?” He looked around and gestured to the scene around them. “We… saved... a hostage. That we've been looking for the entire last week.” He said slowly. Tick nodded.

“I see! Once again, Good triumphs over Evil!”

“Right!”

A young newswoman approached, talking to a camera with a big smile. “And here in the site we have The Tick and Arthur!” She said, walking to the two. “Arthur, do you have any comments?”

Arthur went completely socially awkward and stared into the cameras. “Uhm… Not really.”

“How did you know the hostage would be here?”

“We got a tip from a very nice man.” Arthur said.

“We're being told the hostage is perfectly okay, anything to say about that?”

“That's good. She looked fine.” Arthur clasped his hands together and nodded. 

“Do you have anything to say, Tick?” The camera pointed to him. 

He put a hand on Arthur's back. “We're here to protect. It is my pleasure to help and...” He paused.

“Free hostages!” Arthur said when he noticed Tick wasn't articulating.

“Yes! That.” Tick smiled widely. “Arthur is so smart, isn't he?”

Arthur blushed and looked down. 

The news woman laughed. “Yes, he is quite smart.”

Arthur looked up in time to notice the woman's lovestruck look at him. He shuddered and moved closer to The Tick. They were already standing quite close.

“We should get going.” Arthur mumbled quietly.

“What was that?” The lady asked.

“We gotta go. Come on, Tick.” He shot his wings out and jumped up, hovering for a moment as he waited for Tick.

“See ya, News Lady.” Tick waved and followed Arthur. 

They went to the superhero lounge. Arthur sat on the couch and watched the tv, mindlessly talking with Tick about the case-- mostly just reminding him what they did.

“The woman was taken for ransom.” Arthur said. “But nobody even noticed because she doesn't have a family and she's not too social.”

“Everyone deserves a family!” Tick said, pacing.

“Sit down, Tick.” Arthur said. The ground was shaking as he walked. 

“Alright.” Tick sat down beside Arthur. 

Arthur looked at his friend. He curled up and pressed his cheek against Tick's shoulder. 

“Yeah,” He whispered. “I hope she has some good friends.”

Tick smiled, looking down at Arthur. He loved the affection. He put an arm around Arthur's shoulders and pulled him closer.

“Friends are some of the best things in the world.” He said. “Especially when their name is Arthur.”

Arthur blushed and chuckled. “Oh, really?” He asked. Tick nodded. 

Arthur snuggled closer to him. Their bodies were so extremely different. It was a whole other thing curling up against someone a head taller and almost twice as thick. 

Arthur noticed The Tick's hand and reached over to hold it. His hand was enormous. And so nice to hold.

And his new suit was just… so soft and cushiony.

Arthur yawned and closed his eyes. “You're the best friend I could ever ask for.”

Tick smiled and responded, but Arthur zoned out and didn't hear him. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

Tick leant into him, mindful of his weight. Arthur was so tiny and soft.

He moved a little closer. At this point, he was just thriving in the affection and loving the love.

The door opened and Sage walked in. He approached Tick and Arthur. “Hey, Man.” He said.

“Sage!” Tick said. “Hello!”

“What's goin’ on here?” Sage asked. “I'm getting some… odd vibes from you two.”

“A very long hug, my friend.” Tick answered.  
“You mean… cuddling, right?”

“Cuddling?” Tick repeated happily. “I like that word.”

Sage sat on the edge of the table, facing Tick and Arthur. He was catching some very passionate and loving feelings from Arthur, and the same (but more ignorant) from The Tick.

Sage put his elbows on his knees and leant forward. “Are you two together?” He asked. The feeling of mutual love was so strong between them, the amount of strength Sage usually got from married couples who'd been together for years. 

“Oh, yes.” Tick answered blindly. “For the rest our lives.” He looked down at Arthur. 

Sage smiled. “That's cute.” He said. He got up from the table. “I'll leave you two alone.”

“Goodbye, Noble Nipple Man.” Tick Waved. Sage returned the wave with a wink and walked out. 

Tick ended up drifting off, too.


	2. Hands

Tick woke up hours later with Arthur still in his arms.

They were now laying on their sides. Arthur was against the back of the couch, but didn't have that much room to himself.

His front side was pressed into Tick's body.

Tick tapped his fingers on Arthur. He wanted to get up, but he thought that would wake his friend. So he decided he would wake him and ask if it was okay if he got up.

He let his hand rest and whispered, “Arthur.” Arthur didn't do anything, so he repeated himself, but slightly louder.

Arthur blinked. He was dazed. He couldn't feel anything for a moment, then caught his senses and tuned in with his surroundings.

He was shoved against the couch and The Tick's body, with barely any room. And Tick was touching him. 

Maybe Tick was just too pure to notice that it would make Arthur a little uncomfortable. 

He reached over and took Tick's hand. “Hey, hey, Tick, no.”  
“No? No what?” Tick held his friend's hand. 

Arthur shook his head, dizzy and embarrassed. “Nothing.”

Tick's hands were so big. It was a little scary being touched by someone of such a size.

“Tick, get off me… You're trapping me here.” Arthur said. 

Tick pulled away. “Oh, alright. Sorry. Can you breathe?”

Artur sat up and stretched. “I'm fine.” He said. 

Tick got off the couch. Arthur stood up with him. He pat Tick's arm, then shuffled away. 

Tick followed him happily. 

As they were leaving the lounge, they saw Flexon talking with Sage. “Hey!” Tick said. 

“Hey!” Flexon walked up to them. “How are you two doing?” He looked at them with an expression like he knew something. There was an undertone to his voice that Arthur couldn't quite place and Tick didn't even notice.

“We're… fine.”

“You were in there for quite awhile.” Flexon said. 

“Must've fallen asleep.” Arthur mumbled. 

“Did you do anything else?” Flexon asked. Arthur looked confused. “I mean, do we need to call a janitor?”

Arthur looked shocked. “No! You don't need a janitor.” 

Flexon nodded and laughed. 

Tick laughed, too. “Haha! I don't get it?”

Arthur sighed. “It doesn't matter, Tick.”

Arthur walked away. Tick waved goodbye to his friends and followed after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hekkin tried but the formatting in this chapter kept frucking up. So sorry.


	3. Dog Food

“They think we're dating.” Arthur said. 

“'Dating’?”

“It's, uhm… a special sort of friendship.” Arthur fidgeted with his hands. 

Tick was interested. “How special?” 

“...Uhm… It's, like, a friendship where the friends are really close together.”

“Like us!”

“No, not at all like us!” Arthur sighed loudly. “Whatever. I don't see what explaining it to you would do.”

“Okay!”

They started walking around and patrolling, making absent conversations. 

Tick pointed. “Look! A dog.” He said, pointing to a ball of shaking, golden fluff. “What if it's lost?!” The dog was laying in an alleyway. 

“Aww… poor thing…” Arthur walked towards it. He knelt down and held out his hand to the scared creature. “Hey, doggy, doggy, doggy...” He whispered.

The dog got up and ran off. 

He stood up and looked at The Tick, shrugging. “It's probably a stray.”

“Then let's get it food!” 

“What?”

Tick walked off confidently. “We need to buy dog food!”

Arthur followed him. After a few minutes of walking, Arthur realised Tick didn't know where the pet store was. He took Tick's hand to catch his attention.

“Hey, Tick. The pet shop is that way.” Arthur said. 

“To the pet shop!” Tick scooped Arthur up and jumped. 

Arthur gasped and wrapped his arms around Tick, who landed hard on the roof of a building. “Oof! Tick, I wasn't expecting that!” Arthur squeaked. “I can fly, you know!”

“I know.” Tick surveyed the surroundings and spotted the pet shop. He gripped onto Arthur and jumped again, landing in front of the shop. 

He walked inside. “We need dog food!” He said.

Arthur unwrapped his arms from around Tick, who let him down.

A person behind the front desk pointed to a pet food section. 

Tick found the dog food and bent down to grab a bag. 

As the bag slipped out of the shelf, so did a little extra friend. A kitten!

Tick picked up the cat and dropped the bag. “Dear Daffodils!” He said. “Miniature feline! You meet! The Tick!”

“Are you planning to adopt a cat, Sir?” An employee asked him.

“No! But I want to help a stray out! Is this yours?”

“No, haha. We have three cats wandering around the store.”

“What are their names?” Tick looked around. 

“That one is named Taako.”

“Taako! Like a taco!” Tick pet the kitten. “Wholesome!”

The employee laughed. “The others are named Magnus and Merle.”

“Adorable.” 

“Hey, Tick, let's let the tiny kitten down, okay?” Arthur reached up for it, and Tick gently gave him the animal. Arthur set Taako down and picked up the bag of cat food. 

The kitten meowed at the two. It had a high-pitched, almost silly sounding meow. 

Tick giggled and reached down to pet it. 

Arthur almost stopped him, half scared he would hurt the poor thing, but he remembered how good he was to Lobsercules's children, so he let Tick give the cat a few pets. “Let's buy the food.” He said. “I want to give it to the dog as soon as possible.”

They bought the food and went back to the alley way, opening the bag and putting it down for the dog. They stood away and watched until the animal shuffled out to eat the food. 

Tick watched, feeling satisfied. Helping was his drive, and he knew that little buddy appreciated the help. 

“Bye, little doggo.” Arthur said. “We have to go.” 

Tick felt emotional. “Look at how happy the dog is.” 

Arthur nodded. “Very happy.”

“It's going to be eating for a few days.”

“Yeah.” Arthur looked up at his touched friend. “It's very grateful. We have to get going now.”

“I want to help it more. Everyone deserves a home. Animals deserve homes.” He walked forward and held out his hand to the dog, who looked scared.

“Hello, pupper. I am The Tick.”


	4. Dog

“The dog deserves a home.” Tick said, making the wooden floors of their apartment tremble as he walked back and forth. 

Arthur laid on the couch, sunk down in a position that was probably very bad for his neck and back. It was definitely a beautiful dog. A fit, overwhelmingly golden English Cocker Spaniel. The thing would have no problem getting adopted. It was beautiful.

He sipped a cup of coffee. “I agree. We can bring it to a shelter.”

“Yes! And I will feel much better after it is brought to a loving and caring home.”

Arthur stood up and walked to the kitchen. He jumped up onto the counter so he could be closer to Tick's height. “Come here.”

The Tick obeyed and stood in front of Arthur, who reached up and gingerly brushed his fingers against Tick's cheek.

“Is this your new objective?” Arthur asked. “No supervillain, no bad guys, just get that dog adopted?”

“Yes, Arthur. It deserves a home.”

“We can't adopt it.” Arthur said.

Tick nodded. “Sure.”

“I have an idea… do you want to volunteer at a shelter for a bit? If you're in the mood for helping and not kicking ass, an animal shelter is a good place for that.” Arthur jumped off of the counter.

“Animal shelter!” Tick looked excited. He hugged Arthur. “Yes!”

Arthur laughed, hugging Tick back. “I guess this can keep you busy when there's no bad guys around. And maybe it'll help your mind a little.”

Tick picked up Arthur, then stepped back and let the man down. “Let's go!”

Arthur followed Tick as he bounced out the door.


	5. Tick's Volunteering

They arrived at the shelter not too long later, where Arthur expressed Tick's eagerness to help animals. 

He was put to work immediately. He was great with the giant dogs and was extra careful with the tiny cats. Arthur helped, too. They played with the animals and helped sort a storage room.

During a quick break, Arthur sat with an employee and told her about the stray they'd encountered. “Think you could save the dog?” He asked. 

“Yeah, of course. It's really nice of you two to help us out.” She smiled at Arthur.

From the other room, Tick yelled, “Arthur!”

Arthur got up. “It's better than listening to Tick pacing and wondering where all the criminals are.” He smiled and walked to his friend.

“Look!” He held up a small kitten. “This one is named Arthur…” He looked around and picked up a large, fat cat. “This one is named The Tick! They named their cats after us, Arthur. After us!”

Arthur smiled. “That's nice, Tick.”

Tick spent the rest of the day with the animals.

When they went back that night, Tick couldn't stop talking about how much he wanted to help animals and people, how he wanted to go back every day and say hello to his animal friends.

But he didn't remember it the next day.


	6. Amnesiac

Arthur woke up to Tick walking around the living room. He got up and checked the time. 1:30 AM.

He put on his glasses and went into the living room. He approached Tick, placing a hand on his bicep. “Hey, Tick. Why are you up?”

Tick shrugged. “I'm not sure, but something's bothering me.” He paused for a moment, his antennae drooped. “I don't remember what it is. Maybe it's that. Maybe I'm upset because I can't remember… But I don't remember if that's it…”

Arthur took Tick's hand and pulled effortlessly, knowing he wouldn't be able to drag his friend. “Come on. You need to sleep.”

“You're right.” Tick walked into the bedroom, dragging Arthur with him. 

“I-I meant… on the couch, Tick.” Arthur said.

Tick laid down. “I'm already here.” He said, staring at the ceiling and looking sort of lost.

Arthur sat down with him and placed a hand on his wrist. “Tick… Are you okay?”

“I'm splendid.” Tick smiled. 

Arthur frowned and pulled the blanket over Tick. “Okay. Go to sleep.” 

Tick looked up at his friend, beaming. “Okay, Arthur.” He closed his eyes. He loved how easy it was to remember Arthur. He loved saying his name because he knew it and he never forgot it. It felt like something Tick could hold onto and feel confident about.

Arthur laid down and put his glasses away. He curled up on his side, facing away from Tick. 

“Goodnight, Tick.”

The Tick looked at his smaller friend. He moved closer and embraced the one thing in his life he'd always keep too close to forget. 

Arthur smiled and leant into Tick, enjoying the affection and feeling too tired to reject it.

Tick leant down and nuzzled his face into the crook of Arthur's neck.

“Goodnight, Arthur.”


	7. Coffee

When Arthur woke up again, Tick was gone. He got up and checked the living room, where he found Tick laying on the floor, arms over his chest.

“You alright?” Arthur asked.

Tick didn't respond. Arthur approached and knelt down beside him, setting a hand on his chest. “Hey? Tick?”

Tick opened his eyes. He yawned and stretched. “Arthur...” He mumbled, sitting up and hugging his friend. He sounded like he'd just been sleeping.

“Haha, hey, Big T.” Arthur hugged back. “Why are you laying on the ground?”

“I think I was watching the news.” Tick got up and looked at the tv. It was on, but muted. “It wasn't making any noise.”

Arthur looked at the tv. He got up and unmuted it. “Okay. There you go.” 

Tick sat on the couch and watched. Arthur went into the bathroom to take a shower. He heard Tick moving from the living room to the kitchen, where he looked around the cabinets for a bit, then back to the living room.

He came back out a while later, pulling on his shirt. He walked over to Tick and sat down with him. “Wanna make some coffee?” He asked. 

Tick nodded eagerly and got up. “Why have I not already?!” He said, walking into the kitchen. He searched the cabinet for some coffee. “I don't think we have any!” He called.

Arthur followed him. “We can get some from Goat's store.”

“Goat!” Tick looked excited. “Okay!”

Arthur put on some shoes and went with Tick to the small store. He ordered a coffee for the both of them. 

Tick sat at a table while Arthur got the coffee. He was walking back to their seat when a boy ran from another aisle and past him, setting him off balance and spilling two hot cups of coffee on himself.

“Fuck!” Arthur said, reeling. 

“Arthur!” Tick got up and rushed to him. “Are you okay?!”

“HOT. COFFEE!” Arthur squeaked.

Tick picked him up and said bye to Goat as he ran back to their apartment.

He went into the bedroom and laid Arthur on the bed. His white shirt and sweatpants were stained. 

Tick quite literally ripped the shirt off of Arthur. 

Arthur held his burning skin. “Ghh, thank you…” He whispered. 

He took off his sweatpants and threw them on the floor with the torn shirt. He didn't want to be sitting in coffee-drenched clothes. 

Tick found him an extra pair of pants and set them beside Arthur.

“I need ice.” Arthur said. Tick scrambled into the kitchen and threw the freezer door open. He grabbed some ice and an ice pack, dropping the cubes in it and then running back to Arthur.

He gave him the ice pack. Arthur laid on his back and put the ice over his stomach. 

“You should take a cold bath.” Tick suggested.

“Yeah…” Arthur stood up.

He shuffled into the bathroom and hopped into a cold bath. 

Tick paced as if he were in a hospital, waiting for a doctor to come out and tell him bad news. 

He was just worried for Arthur. Some people get serious burns from coffee. 

Arthur came back out twenty minutes later, a towel wrapped around his waist. 

Tick ran up to him. “Are you okay?!” He grabbed Arthur by the shoulders. 

“I'm fine.” Arthur said. 

Tick held Arthur at arms length. He looked at his stomach and frowned. “Are you sure?” Arthur pulled away and went into the bedroom. Tick followed. “Arthur.”

Arthur sat down. “I need to change, Tick.” He said, waiting for Tick to leave.

Tick sat beside him. He brushed his fingers against Arthur's stomach. The man winced.

“That's a pretty large burn, Arthur…” Tick whispered.

Arthur turned away. “I'll be fine.”

“No! I'm calling Dot over.” He got up and walked into the living room, grabbing the home phone and looking through the numbers until he found one titled, 'Dot’. 

Arthur got up and ran after him. “She isn't a doctor anymore! I wouldn't want to bother her with this.”

Tick held the phone above his head and clicked the call button.

Arthur held onto his towel and jumped up. “Give me that! Unfair!”

“Hey, Arthur.” Came the sister's voice. 

“Dot! This is The Tick.”

“Hey, Tick. What do you need?” 

“Arthur has some serious burns and we need you over quickly!”

“I'm fine!” Arthur called. 

“You're not fine! Dot, come quickly!”

He hung up and put the phone down. 

Arthur was angry. “They're not that bad!” He said. 

Tick picked him up and brought him back to bed. He sat him down. “Put on your pants, Chum.”

Arthur stubbornly got up and grabbed his change of pants. He put on his boxers under the towel, then put on a change of pants. He wanted to put the towel back in the bathroom, but Tick did it for him.

While Tick put the towel away, Arthur took the opportunity to put on his shirt and run into the living room. He plopped onto the couch and pulled the blanket over himself.

Tick came back out and followed him. “Arthur, Dot needs to see your burns.”

“I'm fine!”

Tick walked to the couch and pulled the blanket off of Arthur. “Take off your shirt!”

Arthur refused. They wrestled for a moment, until Arthur fell off the couch and Tick pinned him down.

Tick pulled his shirt off. “Look at how bad those burns look!”

Arthur struggled under Tick, gasping. “You're being kind of rough, Tick!” He yelled.

Tick had his hands on Arthur's wrists. The smaller man was wiggling his hands around uncomfortably, writhing his body under The Tick.

Finally, Tick realised that maybe he was being too rough. He let go of Arthur and rested his hands beside his head instead.

“Are you okay?” He asked tenderly. 

Arthur stared at Tick, whose face was so close. He felt his anger slip away as he stared into Tick's eyes. 

He blushed and glanced away. “Yeah…” He grumbled. He pushed himself up by his elbows until their faces were closer, and he stared into Tick's eyes. 

Tick didn't know what was happening. But he liked it. He closed his eyes, and so did Arthur. They leant closer.

Then the door opened.


	8. It's Not That Bad

Arthur pulled away from Tick. He turned shyly and saw Dot standing at the door. 

He scrambled to his feet immediately. Tick stood up. “Dot!” He said excitedly, as if nothing happened. “Finally! Take a look at these burns!”

Dot walked to them. “God, Arthur, those look really bad!”

Arthur shook his head. “I'm fine! I took a long, cold bath.”

“You might need to go to the hospital.” She said, examining the burns. “Actually, they look like first degree burns…”

“I do not need to go to the hospital.”

She nodded. “You should be fine… but we should put some aloe on it and wrap it up.”

So Dot left and came back a while later. She gave them aloe and bandages before leaving again. 

“Okay. Let's put this on then, I guess.”

Arthur sat down on the couch. Tick insisted he help him, so Arthur laid down and closed his eyes. 

He balled his hands, waiting quietly. Then finally he felt Tick's fingers on his stomach.

Tick rubbed the aloe over the burns. Arthur felt shaky and shy all of a sudden. He turned his head the other way, his heart speeding up. 

When Tick was done, Arthur sat up, and they wrapped a thin bandage around the burns.

“Okay… Thank you, Tick.” Arthur whispered.

They stared into each other's eyes and Tick smiled. “You're welcome.” He stood up and walked to the bedroom, coming out with Arthur's superhero suit. “Now, let's get out there.” 

Arthur smiled and took the suit.


	9. Vibes

Holding hands, Arthur and Tick walked through the streets of their city.

Tick was talking, but Arthur wasn't listening. He was staring at their hands, feeling super shy but excited for some reason. 

They were just holding hands… but Arthur couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. That almost kiss.

He couldn't stop thinking about how incredible it would feel... 

His thoughts were interrupted when someone pushed passed him, knocking him into Tick. 

“Excuse you!” Arthur said. He steadied himself and looked up to Tick, who was staring at the woman who'd bumped him. 

Arthur continued walking, but only got a few steps before he couldn't unless he let go of Tick's hand. “Come on. Let's go.”

“Alright!” Tick sounded sweet and happy, as usual. He followed Arthur and they continued walking.

They walked past the A.E.G.I.S. building, where a few people that were hanging out went to say hi to them.

“Hello, citizens!” Tick greeted. 

“Hello, The Tick!” A woman said. She looked excited. “And Arthur!”

Arthur gave a socially awkward thumbs up. “Hi.”

They said hello to a few other fans, then walked inside of the building. Tick stayed by the door and chatted with a crowd of people that were now interested in talking with him.

Arthur stood back, looking around A.E.G.I.S. for no real reason. He saw Sage again. 

Sage walked over to him. “Arthur.” He said. “Flexon and I have a… question.”

“Oh?” Arthur looked up at Sage. “What's the question?”

“Just out of curiosity, how big is The Tick?”

Arthur looked at Tick. “I don't know? Like... six foot seven, maybe… around there.”

“No, I don't mean his height. I mean, like,” He looked around and looked at Flexon, who was sitting a bit away, nomming a croissant innocently. Sage looked back to Arthur. “Like… his... length. Flexon and I were just wondering.”

Arthur's cheeks burned. “Wh-what what?" He asked. "You mean... his dick? How the hell am I supposed to know?? I don't even know if he has one??”

Sage shrugged. “It must be huge is all I'm saying.”

Arthur imagined it and shuddered. “I wouldn't want to find out and break my pelvis in the process!"

“Or choke.”

Arthur cleared his throat and looked away. “We're not dating, Sage.”

Sage got all flustered. “Tick told me that you were!”

“He doesn't even know what dating is…” Arthur glanced to Tick and watched him laugh and sign things and act like a goof around his fans. 

“He said you're together. I thought you'd had sex or something. I wouldn't have asked if I knew you weren't together!”

“Can't you feel that we're not dating or something?” Arthur asked.  

“No! All I feel around you guys is so much love it's blinding. You guys love each other as much as a married couple.”

Arthur crossed his arms. “Oh…” He looked at Tick. He thought about the kiss. He thought about holding his hand. About kissing him. About sex… 

Arthur looked back to Sage. “That's weird…” He mumbled. He walked away and went back to Tick.

“Let's go.” He said. His wings sprung out and he jumped up. 

Tick apologised and said goodbye to the good citizens, then followed Arthur, who was standing on a roof, looking awkward and anxious.


	10. Rooftop

“Tick…” Arthur tapped his gadget and his wings went away. 

“Yes, Arthur?” Tick walked closer to his friend.

Arthur blushed crazily. He shuffled over to Tick. “I…” He took Tick's hand and looked at the ground.

He looked up and all of the sudden, the world was blank around him. Everything was quiet. Nothing was there. Just them. Them and a growing spark.

The two stared into each other's eyes. Arthur couldn't take it. His heart sped up and he felt like it was going to rocket out of his chest. Ignoring it, he reached a shaky hand up to Tick's cheek, leant up, and pressed their lips together.

Tick liked how Arthur's lips felt against his own, so he didn't pull away. He knew this was a sign of affection from watching other people do it, such as Walter and Arthur's mom, but he didn't know the entirety of what it meant.

Arthur's body pressed against Tick's as he stood on his tiptoes. He put his hands on either side of Tick's face. The taller man opened his mouth and Arthur took advantage of the moment to deepen the kiss.  

Tick didn't know what to do but reciprocate the best he could. He set his hand on Arthur's waist and kissed him back.

They stood there for a few minutes, kissing passionately and lovingly. When Arthur pulled away, Tick smiled. “What…” Tick looked lost in thought. “What is that? I like that.”

“It's, uhm… a kiss.” Arthur said. He smiled shyly. 

Tick pulled Arthur in, a hand on his head and a hand on his back. 

They kissed again, more passionately this time. Arthur pulled away for a moment to put his helmet down. Tick's thick fingers held his curls. Their lips crashed together again. 

Arthur didn't want to pull away. It felt exhilarating. He'd never kissed someone like this before. When his dad died, Arthur became too busy conspiring about The Terror to attempt any relationships, and before his dad died, Arthur was too young to be making out, anyway. When he had all of his therapy lessons, he'd decided nobody would ever love him… but here Tick was, showing him how wrong he'd been.

Arthur really couldn't stop. Not now. Not while he was finally getting to feel how this was. He slid his hand to Tick's muscular back, and grazing his hand over it sent a flutter through his entire body. 

“Mhm…” Arthur moaned, curling his fingers into a fist on his friend's back. 

Then Arthur was struck with anxiety. He wondered if he was taking advantage of Tick. He pulled away. 

Arthur ran a hand through his hair and stumbled off, shocked. 

Tick didn't know what they were doing! Arthur didn't have consent! He was basically tricking Tick into kissing him.

He really just did that. He was so surprised that Tick just kissed him back. No question. He just kissed him back. How could Arthur have let him....

Arthur released his wings and fluttered off. Tick followed, smiling dumbly.


	11. Coffee Shop

Arthur was peaceful in the air. 

He was the only one there. He was flying and no other person could-- besides Superian, who wasn't there. Tick was jumping underneath, but he wasn't beside Arthur. 

This was such a quiet moment. Arthur zoned out as he flew, stuck in his mind as he thought about Tick.

Arthur jumped out of his mind when he heard Tick yell for him. He stopped and looked back. 

Tick was running towards a brutal car crash. Arthur followed and floated to the ground. Tick moved the cars apart and Arthur jumped in to get the crash victims out. 

He pulled out an old man and three kids from one truck, and a young man and his friend from another.

“Did anybody call the police?” He called. 

“Don't worry! We got it!” Someone yelled back. 

Arthur laid the unconscious victims down and checked them. Two of the children and the old man were unconscious. Tick helped the awake ones to the sidewalk.

Tick let them rest against the wall and went to stand beside Arthur. “Are they alive?” He asked. Arthur nodded.

“They're all alive.” Arthur sad. He grabbed the scarf the old man was wearing and wrapped it around the head of the youngest child, which was bleeding the worst.

The police came and took the crash victims away in ambulances. 

Tick watched the ambulances drive off. He looked down at Arthur. “The poor children!” Tick cried. 

Arthur put an arm around Tick. “Hey, it's alright.”

Tick looked at his friend and smiled. He wrapped his arms around Arthur, hugging him tightly.

“Hey,” Arthur said, pulling away. He got so flustered. “Let's not.”

Tick pulled away and looked around. He remembered what they were doing there. “Let's go find more things to do!” He ran off and Arthur ran after him. 

They patrolled until lunch.  Arthur was tired and wanted a quick break. They went to a coffee shop and Tick sat down. Arthur ordered them drinks and sandwiches and sat down beside Tick. They were sitting by the window, in a booth. 

As Arthur waited to be called, he listened to Tick's nonsense. 

Tick was talking about the other people in the shop.

He sunk down a little to get closer to Arthur's height. “Do you ever look at someone and wonder what their true destiny is?” He asked.

Arthur nodded. “Uh, sure.”

Tick looked at a child. “The children of today are often mistaken for mindless drones wasting their mortality on phones… they have destinies, too. Perhaps their destiny is virtual. Everyone's Destiny is different. Everyone has a superpower.” He looked up at Arthur. “You do, too.” He smiled sweetly. Arthur moved closer to him. Tick put his arm around him. “Your superpower is your awesomeness.”

Arthur blushed and looked down. “I'd say your superpower is your funniness or something… but… you actually have a superpower…” He set a hand on Tick's six pack. He got excited and felt like lightning struck his body. He wanted to throw himself into Tick's arms and kiss him passionately. He started stammering something else, but was interrupted when he heard his name.

“Arthur Everest!” The barista called. Arthur got up and walked away from Tick, going to the front. 

As he got there, he saw the little kid Tick was looking about approach.

He expected the kid to ask about superhero stuff, but the kid stood on his tiptoes and reached up, grabbing Arthur's water and both his and Tick's sandwich, but Arthur moved Tick's coffee out of the way of the kid.

“Hey, buddy, that's mine.” He said. He reached out for the order and the kid ran away. 

He ran to his mom, who took the water and sandwiches from him.

Arthur walked up to her. “Excuse me, Ma'am… that's mine. It has my name on it.”

“Arthur?” She asked. 

Arthur nodded. “Uhm… yeah…”

“You're a superhero.” She said. “Help us out. I'm a single mother.”

“I'm sorry… but I ordered that for me and Tick…”

As he said the name, he felt a hand pat his shoulder. The Tick stepped forward. “Excuse me. My dear friend Arthur paid for those. Stealing is wrong, little Chum.” 

The son hopped into a chair, silent. He picked up a sandwich.

“I'm a single mom,” The girl said. “You don't have children, you don't understand.”

Arthur fidgeted with his hands. “O-okay…” He figured he could just get another order. He tried to back away, but The Tick wasn't budging, and the hand on his shoulder kept Arthur firm in place.

“Miss Mom, I appreciate your momness. Being a parent sure is hard…” He thought back to the lobster children. “but your name isn't Arthur.”

She mumbled something, knowing there was no use fighting with The Tick and Arthur. She took a bite out of Arthur's sandwich-- the kid had already eaten half of Tick's-- then grabbed her son and stormed off with him. 

Arthur went back to the front desk and got a replacement for their stolen things. After he got them, he went back to the booth and sat down with Tick.

He curled up into Tick and sipped his water. Tick wrapped his arm around Arthur's back and held him. “That child is being exposed to crime.” He said.

“Ti--”

“Crime, Arthur. He is so young!”

Arthur pressed his cheek into Tick's shoulder and looked down. “Some people are like that, Tick.” He said. 

Tick looked down at Arthur, still complaining. He was just shocked. 

Arthur zoned out and stared into his cup. He heard Tick's voice, and he couldn't focus on anything else but it. 

He listened to Tick talk. His voice was so confident and incredible.

Arthur sunk against Tick's muscles.

He listened to Tick's voice as if he were listening to music. He sat there and absorbed it. He zoned out of reality but was tethered to the sound of his friend. 

A few minutes later, Tick shifted and woke Arthur, who felt as if he fell out of a trance. He looked up at Tick, dazed and with an almost love-struck expression. He quickly caught himself and sat up. 

Tick didn't understand or catch the expression. Arthur didn't expect him to.

He took Tick's hand and decided he'd show him some things that make a relationship before getting into one.


	12. Salad

“Let's go get something better for you to eat.”

Overkill sat in his chair, legs up on Dangertable, shoveling spoonfuls of inedible Fo-Ham into his mouth. 

“No.” He grumbled. 

“Come on, Overkill. You need to take care of yourself. If I had the hands to throw it out, there wouldn't be a can of Fo-Ham in here!”

Overkill ignored the boat and ate another spoonful. 

Dangerboat's lights started flashing. “Get out! Come back when you've bought a salad!”

Overkill stumbled out with his can of Fo-Ham. He chucked the can at the exterior of his friend. 

He knew he could survive outside of the boat, so he wasn't worried, but he didn't want to spend the night outside because he refused to buy a salad. Even though he wanted to be stubborn. Whatever.

He didn't want to waste money, though. Salad was a complete waste. 

He checked the time as he walked away and figured he'd break into The Tick and Arthur's house and steal a salad from them. They didn't seem to mind when he broke in. They wouldn't be home, anyway. 

So he went to their house and scaled up the side of the wall and opened the window. He jumped inside and glanced around to make sure Tick and Arthur weren't there.

He stood up and relaxed. They would never know. He walked to the fridge and opened it, when he heard a sound coming from another room. 

“Shit!” He cursed under his breath. He glanced around, then jumped up into the corner of the ceiling and held himself up, pressing his cheek into the wall and listening.

He could hear Tick and Arthur. They were in Arthur's bedroom and were sort of quiet, but it was nearly impossible for The Tick to be quiet. He only knew that Arthur was there was because he'd occasionally laugh. 

Overkill listened as the two walked out of the bedroom. 

“Maybe we could try that sometime.” Arthur was saying, laughing slightly. He wasn't wearing his suit. He was just wearing a bandage around his abdomen and boxers. Had they only just woken up? Tick was very serious about getting out before seven. It was almost twelve. 

They were in the living room. Overkill watched them through the hole in the wall, wondering what they were doing. He was suddenly very curious… But perhaps it was wrong. They were in their own house. Overkill wouldn't be able to justify being there.

“There are so many things I didn't know about! I love learning!” Tick said excitedly.

Overkill decided he'd get salad from Dot. He began slowly crossing the ceiling.

“I-I can show you more things.” Arthur said. “But maybe instead of just telling you, we could try in real life...”

“Really?” Tick's antennae flicked in delight. 

“If you promise you won't hurt me…” Arthur fidgeted with his hands.

Tick nodded. “Don't worry, Chum! I'll be very careful!” He hit his hand on Arthur's back, making the man stumble. 

Tick frowned and put a gentle hand on his back. “Are you okay?” 

He looked up and shook his head to clear his mind. “Yeah, I'm fine-- but that's what I mean! Don't hurt me.” He mumbled.

Tick smiled and placed a hand on Arthur's. “Good! Don't worry, Arthur! You'll be as strong as me some day!”

Arthur laughed and stepped closer to Tick. He leant up and kissed him. Overkill was shocked. He watched as Tick put his thick arms around Arthur's tiny body and kissed him back.

Overkill slipped out the window and closed it.


	13. Love

Tick had recalled something Arthur had explained earlier, about expressing love. Hearing it melt Arthur's heart. He was so pleasantly shocked he couldn't speak for a moment.

Then, almost choking, he nodded and pulled Tick into a passionate kiss. “I love you, too…” He said.

Tick wasn't expecting that. He clasped his arms around Arthur's back, surprised.

Arthur nuzzled into Tick's body, peppering affectionate kisses onto his chest. 

Tick relaxed and held Arthur, focusing on the feeling of lips pressing against his chest. He didn't know what this was and it almost worried him, but 99% of him wasn't worried, and that 99% of him told to kiss back, so he slipped his hand onto Arthur's cheek and used his thumb to make him look up.

Arthur smiled for a moment, and Tick paused. His heart was beating so fast and he didn't know why. Arthur's smile was… so pure. So pure in the purest of ways. Looking at his smile made Tick feel like everything was right in world. He didn't understand it. 

“You have some of the most interesting features.” Tick said dumbly, admiring his boyfriend's face.

“Thank you…” Arthur whispered.

Tick kissed him and they got as close as they could, then fell asleep.

 

Arthur woke up early. He was laying in bed at 4 AM, feeling shook.

He'd woken quite suddenly after having a dream where he'd suffocated under The Tick. He rolled onto his back and looked at the ceiling.

Tick was still laying beside him. He was curled up, his arms laid over Arthur's body.

Arthur looked at Tick and signed, shaking the dream out of his head. He was just getting anxiety about being in a relationship with someone so big. He moved closer and took Tick's hand, draping it over his chest. Tick mumbled something, pressing his nose into the back of Arthur's head. 

Arthur looked at Tick's hand absently. He admired how big Tick was. He wanted to turn and face him, but he was enjoying the feeling he got by being spooned by a giant. He was looking forward to more cuddling in the future. 

He took the moment to think about The Tick. 

Tick was so wholesome. He was so amazing and he was trying his best. He was perfect.

Along with that, Arthur couldn't believe they were dating. Arthur never thought anyone would love him, nonetheless a giant, muscular beast of a man. 

Arthur used to look at pictures of muscular men and wonder how people even got close to them. How could they go up to attractive, muscular men and… Actually talk to them?

Buy here he was! Being the little spoon to the biggest man he knew.

Arthur turned slightly and trailed his hand up Tick's arm. He turned the rest of the way and put his hand on Tick's six pack. 

He smiled and looked up at his boyfriend's face. Tick was totally the sort of person he'd sit at his desk, looking at pictures of until 3 AM when he finally decided that staying up so late hating himself and staring at men wasn't a good way to spend the night. 

He was so muscular his chest was probably twice as big or even bigger than Arthur's. How was that even possible? How was any of The Tick possible?

Arthur shook the thought out of his head. He pushed himself up with his feet so he was closer to Tick's face. He buried his face against Tick's neck and wrapped his noodle arms around him, resting his tiny hands on The Tick's back. He decided to stop thinking about how impossible it was that little ol’ him was good enough for Tick, and accept the reality that he was. 

He went back to sleep and slept normally.


	14. Love

Tick had recalled something Arthur had explained earlier, about expressing love. Hearing it melt Arthur's heart. He was so pleasantly shocked he couldn't speak for a moment.

Then, almost choking, he nodded and pulled Tick into a passionate kiss. “I love you, too…” He said.

Tick wasn't expecting that. He clasped his arms around Arthur's back, surprised.

Arthur nuzzled into Tick's body, peppering affectionate kisses onto his chest. 

Tick relaxed and held Arthur, focusing on the feeling of lips pressing against his chest. He didn't know what this was and it almost worried him, but 99% of him wasn't worried, and that 99% of him told to kiss back, so he slipped his hand onto Arthur's cheek and used his thumb to make him look up.

Arthur smiled for a moment, and Tick paused. His heart was beating so fast and he didn't know why. Arthur's smile was… so pure. So pure in the purest of ways. Looking at his smile made Tick feel like everything was right in world. He didn't understand it. 

“You have some of the most interesting features.” Tick said dumbly, admiring his boyfriend's face.

“Thank you…” Arthur whispered.

Tick kissed him and they got as close as they could, then fell asleep.

Arthur woke up early. He was laying in bed at 4 AM, feeling shook.

He'd woken quite suddenly after having a dream where he'd suffocated under The Tick. He rolled onto his back and looked at the ceiling.

Tick was still laying beside him. He was curled up, his arms laid over Arthur's body.

Arthur looked at Tick and signed, shaking the dream out of his head. He was just getting anxiety about being in a relationship with someone so big. He moved closer and took Tick's hand, draping it over his chest. Tick mumbled something, pressing his nose into the back of Arthur's head. 

Arthur looked at Tick's hand absently. He admired how big Tick was. He wanted to turn and face him, but he was enjoying the feeling he got by being spooned by a giant. He was looking forward to more cuddling in the future. 

He took the moment to think about The Tick. 

Tick was so wholesome. He was so amazing and he was trying his best. He was perfect.

Along with that, Arthur couldn't believe they were dating. Arthur never thought anyone would love him, nonetheless a giant, muscular beast of a man. 

Arthur used to look at pictures of muscular men and wonder how people even got close to them. How could they go up to attractive, muscular men and… Actually talk to them?

Buy here he was! Being the little spoon to the biggest man he knew.

Arthur turned slightly and trailed his hand up Tick's arm. He turned the rest of the way and put his hand on Tick's six pack. 

He smiled and looked up at his boyfriend's face. Tick was totally the sort of person he'd sit at his desk, looking at pictures of until 3 AM when he finally decided that staying up so late hating himself and staring at men wasn't a good way to spend the night. 

He was so muscular his chest was probably twice as big or even bigger than Arthur's. How was that even possible? How was any of The Tick possible?

Arthur shook the thought out of his head. He pushed himself up with his feet so he was closer to Tick's face. He buried his face against Tick's neck and wrapped his noodle arms around him, resting his tiny hands on The Tick's back. He decided to stop thinking about how impossible it was that little ol’ him was good enough for Tick, and accept the reality that he was. 

He went back to sleep and slept normally.


	15. Stuck

Waking up to The Tick used to be interesting. 

But oh boy.

Now…

Now Arthur woke up feeling like Tick wasn't just the name of his boyfriend, but a word to describe his entire being. He woke up with barely any wiggle room. Tick, curled up the best he could, with his thick legs tangled with Arthur's little ones, arms around him, looked super comfortable and super opposed to moving. 

Arthur tried to push himself up, but he couldn't. He was basically trapped. 

He laid back down and tried wiggling out. He was able to release one of his legs and soon enough got the other one out. He squirmed around in Tick's arms, attempting to slip out again. 

He couldn't, so he turned to face Tick. “Hey!” He whispered loudly. “Hey! I'm trapped here!”

Tick didn't respond. 

Arthur remembered his dream, and for a moment, he was struck with an anxiety about never being able to get out, about suffocating… But then he realised that was stupid. Very stupid. Tick would never hurt him.

Arthur whined and pushed against Tick's chest. “T, get up.” Arthur huffed.

He leant up to his unconscious boyfriend and kissed the corner of his lips. “Tick!”

Tick opened his eyes. “Arthur!” He pulled his boyfriend close and squeezed him. 

Arthur groaned in annoyance as his tiny body squished against Tick's again. 

Still feeling claustrophobic, Arthur put his hands on Tick's chest and pushed away. “Let me go!” He said.

Tick let Arthur go. “Are you okay, Chum? You seem a little ill-tempered.”

“Sorry,” Arthur whispered. He crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Tick got out of bed and watched Arthur walk away.

He stood there for a moment, thinking. He was trying to remember something Arthur had told him about relationships, but he couldn't remember it. 

He walked to the bathroom and opened the door “Arthur!”

Arthur squeaked, jumping. He had his shirt off but his boxers were still on.

“Tick!” Arthur said. “What the hell!”

Tick put his hands on his hips. “I forgot something you told me.”

“What?”

“I don't know?”

Arthur threw his shirt in the hamper and walked up to Tick. “What's it about?”

“Being boyfriends!”

“What's confusing you?” Arthur crossed his arms.

Tick looked lost. Arthur sighed and took Tick's hand. He leant up and kissed his lips. “I'm gonna take a shower now.”

“Why do you have to shower?” Tick asked. “Didn't you do that yesterday?”

“I'm just trying to feel better about a routine, okay? Doing something everyday makes me feel like I'm not a mess.” He pat Tick's chest as if he was herding him out. “Alright, let me take my shower.”

“Can I take a shower?”

Arthur nodded. “Yeah. Sure. After I'm done.”

He walked away and Tick watched him get in the shower. He looked around in confusion for a moment, then stepped forward and got into the shower with Arthur. 

Arthur squeaked and covered himself. “Tick!” He said.

“Hi, Arthur!”

“I don't know what I expected…” Arthur stood there, stunned with anxiety. He looked at his feet.

Tick saw that Arthur was feeling anxious, so he wrapped his arms around him and held him. “You look vexed, Chum.”

“Ah… I'm just… New to this…? I haven't ever been naked in front of anyone else before!” 

“Don't feel troubled, Arthur! Human bodies are a thing of beauty.” He clapped Arthur's shoulder. “You look gorgeous!”

Arthur shuffled in place. He moved a wet curl off of his forehead. “Oh… okay. Okay. Th-thank you, I guess.” 

Tick hugged him again. Arthur blushed and hugged him back, then pulled away. “I have to get that…” He gestured vaguely to a bottle behind Tick. Tick turned and picked up a bottle, then handed it to Arthur. 

“No I… need the other one…” Arthur put the conditioner Tick handed him on the rim. Tick handed him the shampoo and Arthur looked at his and Tick's feet as he put it on. 

Tick was blocking the water. Arthur looked up at him. “Hey… can I have the water?”

“Oh!” Tick and Arthur changed places so Arthur could wash his hair. 

Tick watched him, then picked up the shampoo and looked at it. “Hm!”

“What?” Arthur looked back to Tick. 

Tick put the bottle down. “Do you use this on your entire body, or only your head?”

“Only the head…” Arthur picked up the conditioner and used that, too. 

“Is it the same with that?” Tick asked.

Arthur nodded.

After he got all the suds out of his hair, he picked up a bottle of body wash and handed it to Tick. “This is for your body.”

Tick's antennae flicked upwards. “Woah! The amount of shower cosmetics!”

Arthur laughed quietly. “I don't have a lot, Tick.”

He took the bottle from Tick and squirted a bit on his hand. He reached up and put it on Tick's cheeks. Tick's face lit up. 

“Neat!” He pulled away from Arthur and put his hands on his cheek, feeling it. He smiled, then took the bottle back and squirt a bit of it on his palm. Arthur expected him to play around with how it feels, but then Tick put his hands on Arthur's face.  

Arthur smiled at him. He giggled. “Thank you, Tick.”

“You're welcome!”

Arthur finally felt comfortable. He leant into Tick's body and took his hand, tilting his head and kissing his chest.

Tick slid his hands onto Arthur's side, smiling excitedly-- he was super excited to just be involved. Having Arthur touch him felt really good for some reason.

He wasn't thinking dirty. He didn't even know how to think dirty. He just knew that Arthur was naked and now they were really close and he didn't know what to do but he didn't want it to end.


	16. Out

“We're so glad you joined us.”

Arthur looked uncomfortably at The Tick, then nodded and sat down. “Yeah. Sorry that we're not together so much anymore…” He sat down. Tick sat beside him. 

His mother was across from them. She'd invited them over for lunch, so they stopped over during their patrol. Arthur felt bad for his poor mom. She just wanted to know her son. 

Arthur sunk into his chair and Tick sat straight up.

Walter walked into the room. Tick jumped up. “Walter!” He exclaimed.

“Tick!” He sat down on the chair beside Tick. 

“Hello! Ah, the parentals and their largely successful son. All we're missing is an awesome medical doctor with a new perspective on destiny.” He leant back and looked at Arthur. “Will she come?”

Arthur shrugged. “I'm not sure, Tick.”

“Oh, we only called you two.” Joan said. She put her hand over Arthur's. “Because we want to talk about you and The Tick. We want to catch up.”

Tick's antennae wiggled in anticipation. “There's so much to talk about!” He said. He moved closer to Arthur, but Arthur shot him a look and turned, inching away from Tick.

Tick didn't catch on. He wrapped an arm around Arthur and held him. “Your son is showing impressive Super Progress, Joan and Walter.”

Arthur looked at his hands. “I'm not…”

“Sure you are! Arthur, you're learning like an excited child! Taking in everything and learning from it with an excited front, drawn from the love of knowledge and dressed in the clothes of curiosity!” 

Arthur blinked. After a moment, he nodded. “Kay…”

“That's exactly what Arthur is!” Walter said, laughing.

Joan laughed, too. “Oh, Tick. You're a riot.”

Arthur laughed nervously and nodded. “He sure is.”

Tick pulled himself away from Arthur. “My friend,” He said, patting Arthur's shoulder. “I admire your straightforwardness with Destiny.”

If Arthur was anything, it definitely wasn't straight, or even more so straightforward. Maybe Tick still thought that Arthur meant to thrust himself into this larger part of his life, willing to become a superhero, knowing what he was doing. He didn't know what he was doing at all.

“That reminds me of something I should tell you…” Arthur mumbled blindly, immediately regretting the words as soon as they came from his mouth. What was he going to do now? He didn't want to say anything to his parents. Especially not what he was thinking. 

“What is it, Dear?” Joan sad. “Is it something serious?”

Arthur shook his head. “Not unless you make it to be.” He said. 

Joan frowned and looked at him, tilting her head.  “Well?”

Arthur took a deep breath and looked at Tick for support, then he glanced at Walter, and finally looked back to his mom. “Mom…” He mumbled. “Mmghh…”

“What?”

“Mmh… I'm. I'm gay.”


	17. Bad At Understanding

Joan was confused for a moment, and then she nodded. “That's why you always had pictures of men up on your computer!”

Arthur's cheeks burned. “Mom!”

“I just thought you were looking at their bodies in a sort of... inspiration way? Like, I thought you'd go to the gym more and try to bulk up like some of those guys.”

Arthur put his head in his hands. 

Tick spoke up. “Arthur, I'm not quite sure I understand.”

Arthur glanced at him. “I already told you, Tick… gay… like… Two boys liking each other.”

Recalling the talk, Tick lit up. “Like us!” He said proudly.

Arthur looked away.

Joan looked at Tick. “Wait, are you two…?” She trailed off.

“We are.” Tick said. “We are indeed two.”

Walter chuckled. “Are you an item?” He asked.

“I believe we are people.” Tick answered dumbly.

“No, are you together?” Joan continued. 

“Of course! It's us against the rest of the world. We're a team.” He looked at Arthur happily.

“Tick, they're asking if we're in love. If we're dating.” He said.

“Of course I love you, Chum.” Tick beamed. The parents decided to drop it, thinking Tick was just saying that in a friendly sort of way.

Arthur looked at his parents, who clearly thought Tick was too daft to understand. Arthur suddenly felt defensive. He felt offended. Tick wasn't being stupid, he was just confused. He hated when people acted like Tick was too stupid to understand things.

Arthur pat Tick's thigh and moved in. He leant up and grabbed Tick's cheeks, pulling his face in and kissing him lovingly. Tick smiled and wrapped his arms around Arthur, reciprocating.

Arthur pulled away a moment later. Tick smiled. “Great balls of fire!” He exclaimed. “Like the Arizona deserts during the summer!” He jiggled excitedly. 

Arthur laughed. “What?”

Joan looked shocked. Water wasn't too surprised, he was more intrigued.

Arthur dropped his hand to Tick's and weaved their fingers. “I wanted to tell you about this, too…” 

He grinned a little and glanced back to Tick, who was happy.


	18. Kevin!

“Joan looked so surprised.” Tick told Arthur as he walked beside him. They'd just gotten back to the city. 

Arthur smiled and looked up at his boyfriend. “Haha, yeah.” He took Tick's hand and moved closer to him. “We really spooked 'em…”

“We caught them off of their guard.” Tick said, looking at Arthur. 

Arthur looked up and caught his look. He smiled, letting go of his hand and snuggling into Tick's side. 

“We definitely did.” He said. He snuck his arm around Tick's waist.

Tick put an arm around Arthur's shoulders. “Anyone would be surprised.”

“Not me.” Said a voice.

Arthur jumped and turned. “Tinfoil Kevin!”

“I knew this would happen…” He said.

“Nothing has happened! What are you doing here?”

“Just… walking…” He glanced around them. 

Arthur frowned and nodded. “Okay…” He turned back to Tick. “Let's get back home.”

“You guys…” Kevin walked with them. “Are you going to get married?”

“No, no, Kev, don't worry about that.” Arthur said. “We're not getting married.”

Kevin nodded. “Good… that would bring a lot of attention to you guys… Stay down low.”

He dropped his pace and fell behind as Tick and Arthur continued walking.

Arthur shook his head. “Kevin's super paranoid.” He said.

“He's looking out for us.” Tick said, humming.

Arthur smiled and nodded. “Y--” He was cut off and practically spun around as Tick bolted off. 

He looked around. “Tick?!”

He spotted his friend running down an alleyway. Arthur chased after him. 

“Tick! What is it?” He asked.

“Criminalities!” Tick yelled.

Arthur was lacking behind. He could catch up faster if he flew. He went to his wrist when someone hit him in the back of the head.

Arthur fell over, almost knocked out. He blinked, putting his hands on the ground to push himself up.

He was barely able to regain his composure when he was slapped back down.

Coughing, Arthur curled up and covered his face as he was kicked. He sucked in a harsh breath and the assaulter ran off. 

“Tick!” Arthur yelled. He coughed, rolling onto his back and looking up at the sky. “Tick!” He yelled again, sounding desperate.

“ARTHUR!” Tick ran to him. “What happened?”

He helped Arthur sit up. Arthur looked and noticed Tick didn't have the person he was going after. He was attacked to be a distraction. How perfect.

Tick pulled Arthur up. “Are you okay?”

Arthur nodded, falling into Tick's arms. “Uhg… I just need to rest… catch my breath…”

Tick picked up Arthur. He was angry that he'd let him get hurt.

Tick jumped onto a roof that was shaded by another building. He laid Arthur down. “Catch your breath…”

Arthur leant against a generator, breathing heavily.

Tick sat beside him. “...Are you alright?”

Arthur closed his eyes. He nodded and winced. “I'm sorry…” He looked at his boyfriend. 

“Ar--”

Arthur kissed him. “You wanna catch those guys while I lay here…?” He asked. 

Tick paused. “Uhm…” He hugged Arthur. “I think they're already gone…”

Arthur nodded and hugged Tick tightly. “I'm very sorry…” He curled up in Tick's arms.

“Hey… hey… chin up, Chum. It’s not your fault.” He played with Arthur's hair.

Arthur nodded. “I should've fought back, though.”

Tick squeezed him lightly and comforted him.  

Arthur shifted in Tick's arms. He felt comfortable there. He cupped Tick's cheek and leant up, kissing him. 

Arthur tilted his head and they kissed slowly. He slipped his hand around Tick's muscles, suddenly smirking against his lips. 

Tick leant against the generator, putting his hands on Arthur's waist and tugging him in. 

The tug made Arthur flutter. He slid his hands up Tick's body and took his face into his hands again, deepening the kiss.

Tick responded by gripping Arthur's super suit and pressing his fingers into his back.

“Tick,” Arthur breathed, leaning down to kiss Tick's neck.

“Yes, Arthur?”

Tick's voice was as clear and confident as ever, and sounded super attractive. Arthur was already trembling, quaking with excitement. They connected their lips again and kissed passionately. Arthur made little “mmh” moaning sounds as their lips crashed together.

Tick was better at kissing than one would imagine. He'd definitely done it before, even if he didn't remember. He couldn't have not. Not with this much skill.

Arthur felt his friend's hand move over his back, then it paused. Arthur moaned a little disagreeing grunt, pressing his back into Tick's hand. He just didn't want to stop. Especially if he didn't have to now. Tick knew what they were doing and he was fine with it.

“Arthur.” Tick whispered. His fingers hovered over Arthur's back hesitantly. 

Arthur pulled away slightly, suddenly feeling watched and uncomfortable. He turned and Superian was standing behind them.


	19. Stressed

“Hey, Arthur...” Superian floated onto the roof. Arthur pulled away from Tick and scrambled to his feet as quick as he could.

“Superian!” He exclaimed. “What the hell!”

“I heard you say you were gay earlier.” He said. “And I wanted to come and ask how you think about me…” He ran a hand through his hair. “But then I heard some quiet little moaning and I was like, 'What is happening now?’ and I came to check up on you.”

Arthur's cheeks burned red. “Why are you just randomly listening in?!”

“Your voice is calming.” Superian crossed his arms.

“And why do you want to hear how I think about you now out of nowhere?” Arthur hissed. “Just because I'm gay?!”

“Calm down, Tiger.” Tick said, standing up. He stood beside Arthur. 

“How do you think I look?” Superian turned to Tick.

“As super as ever.” Tick answered.

Arthur was still upset. He crossed his arms and faced Tick. “No, don't encourage him.”

“I don't know any other gay boys.” Superian responded.

“Boys?!” Arthur took Tick's hand. “Let's go…”

“Arthur, I'm sorry.” Superian said. “Did I upset you?”

“Yes!” Arthur tugged on Tick's hand. 

“I'm not going to tell anyone you and Tick were fucking on a roof or anythin’, calm down.”

Arthur hit his gadget and his wings spread out. He jumped into the air and flew off.

“Adios, Superianos.” Tick waved and jumped after Arthur. 

He caught up with him in a park. Arthur paced angrily. 

“Why are you so angry, Chum?” Tick asked. “Isn't kissing a stress reliever?”

“Superian's being arrogant.”

Tick set a hand on Arthur's shoulder. “Can't he hear you?”

Arthur went quiet, still looking upset. Eventually, he nodded and grumbled, “Well look at all the fucks I give!” He yelled angrily.

“Okay, Arthur. Come on.” Tick pat his shoulder and walked away. 

Arthur followed him. Tick brought him to Goat's store. Tick lead Arthur to the table.

“Arthur.” Tick put his elbows on the table and looked at his boyfriend. “I'm going to get you a drink and you're going to sit down across from me and we'll talk.”

Arthur was beginning to twitch. He just wanted to go home. “I think I'm just going to lay down.” He walked away. Tick watched him leave the shop. He stood up and went to Goat, but his attempts to buy Arthur something to eat failed since he didn't have any money.

“Thank you anyway, Goat!” 

“Wait,” a man walked out from behind the aisle. “I'll pay for his items.”

“Hm?” Tick's antenna turned quizitively. 

“Yeah.” The man went to Goat and held out the money. “Here. That should cover it.”

The man was about as tall as Tick. He was lanky, but dressed colourfully. He had on a beanie, icy blue eyes, and dark skin. He turned to Tick. “There you go.”

“I am forever grateful. Hopefully this will make Arthur happy.” He held out his hand. They shook hands, then Tick ran off. He went back to the apartment and found Arthur curled up on the couch. 

He looked so small. Tick went up to him. “Chum!” He said excitedly. “I have brought the nutrients!” He handed Arthur a bag of sweets and a beverage.

Arthur sat up and took the items. “Thank you, Tick.” He set them beside his helmet on the table. 

“No problem!” Tick took a seat beside Artur.

Arthur turned to Tick and laid back down. He put his head on his boyfriend's lap. “I'm exhausted…” He whispered. 

Tick rested his hand on Arthur's head, twisting the little curls around. “Then you should take a…” Tick booped Arthur's nose. “Nap~”

Arthur rolled his eyes and looked away. After a moment, he sighed, stretched, buried his face against Tick's thigh, and went to sleep. 

“My companion,” Tick purred, admiring Arthur's face. “So sleepy and cute...”

He leant back and closed his eyes, playing with Arthur's hair. 

He sat there for awhile, then started feeling a little trapped in. 

He needed to get up, so he picked up Arthur and got off the couch. He brought Arthur to the bedroom and laid him down. 

Tick kissed his cheek and walked back into the living room, pacing for a bit.

Arthur didn't sleep for long and walked out to see Tick pacing. He walked up to him. “Hey, you alright?”

“Itching for adventure.” Tick responded.

Arthur nodded. “Sorry I kept you waiting.” He walked to the couch and picked up the drink and food Tick got him. “Thank you for getting me a snack.” He leant against the wall and looked at Tick as he opened the bag. “How did you pay for it…?”

“A good citizen decided to spare the amount for me.” He walked up to Arthur and leant against the wall beside him.  

“Oh,” Arthur nodded. He leant his head into Tick's shoulder and nibbled on the little cookies inside the bag. “Okay.” He smiled and held one out to Tick. "Want one?”

“Thank you!” Tick took the cookie.

Arthur nodded and ate quietly. 

As they ate, the lights in the apartment turned off.


	20. Something To Care About

Arthur put the bag of cookie and drink in Tick's hands.

“Thank you.” Tick said again, watching Arthur turn on his flashlights and walk away. He flipped the switch and the lights turned back on. 

“Hm.” He said. “Landlord must be messing with the lights…”

He went back to Tick. “I'm ready to leave again. I think I'm better.”

Tick dropped the items. “Alright!” He ran out the door. Arthur smiled and ran after him.

“Hey! Where are we going now?” Arthur asked. 

“Just to wander, Dear!” Tick responded. “No rooftop shenanigans this time.” He pat Arthur's back. “How are you feeling?”

“Still a little in pain… But I'm doing better. Especially after that nap.”

“Those criminals are lucky they barely hurt you…” He looked away, balling his hands into fists. 

“Calm own, firecracker.” Arthur took Tick's hand. “You're gonna really hurt someone one of these days.”

“They probably deserve it. I would only damage them if they hurt you.”

Arthur shook his head, chuckling. “Just don't kill anyone.”

“Killing is wrong!” Tick huffed.

“I agree.”

They didn't have anything to do. Tick kept going on about how there was no action while Arthur walked beside him. 

They were going through a somewhat busy street when Tick yelled. “That's the man!” He pointed. 

Arthur jumped. “Wha-- what? What? Who? What man?”

“He paid for the things! HELLO!”

The man turned to them. He pointed to himself.

“Yes, you! Hello!!!”

He looked around, then walked towards them. “Hey… The Tick and Arthur!”

“Hi. Thank you for helping Tick.” Arthur said. 

“Oh, no problem.”

“You are a good person.” Tick placed his hand on the man's shoulder. “What's your name, Chap?”

“Anik.”

Tick looked excited. “I love meeting new friends.” He said, in his normal volume, to Arthur, as if he were whispering. 

“Well, it was nice meeting you, but I gotta go.” Anik waved cheerfully and walked away.

“What a good fellow.” Tick watched him leave.

“That was so awkward,” Arthur laughed. “He clearly didn't want to talk.”

“Oh, I'm sure he didn't mind!” Tick started walking again.

Arthur watched in silence for a moment, smiling. He loved Tick's stride. He was so confident and Arthur couldn't help but admire him. 

He followed him, in his regular meek, awkward walk that was very different from Tick's. 

“Catch up, Chum!” Tick bellowed. “Crime does not wait for desultory!”

Arthur hurried up to Tick's side. He brought out his wings. “Let's get a view from higher up.” He said, then flapped his wings and flew off the ground. 

Tick jumped onto a building with Arthur. “Good idea!” He looked around, antennae curved at the center. “Arthur!” He yelled.

“What?!” Arthur called back from a bit away. 

“LOOK at that BIRD!”

Arthur followed Tick's finger. He fluttered over to his friend, watching the bird he was looking at. 

“Looks like a falcon…” He said. 

“It's feeding i's babies,” Tick said. “Like Lobstercules.”

Arthur looked at his friend and frowned. “Do you… want something to care about?” He asked. 

“What? I have you.” Tick smiled.

“Yeah, but I mean, do you want a pet?”

“Like what sort of pet?”

“Well, you really liked the cats we met…”

“What cats? We met cats?”

“And you liked the dogs a lot, too.”

“I love cats and dogs.”

“Maybe we can get an animal.” Arthur looked around. “I wonder about that stray dog...”

Tick gasped. “Homeless dog?! Unbelievable!” He looked distraught. “Does the poor babe have food, Arthur?”

“Yeah, we gave it food.”

“Lets find that dog!”

Arthur put his hand in front of his excited friend to pause him.. 

“You'll be gentle with it?”

Tick nodded eagerly.

Arthur jumped off the roof and spread his wings. Tick stood back to watch him for a moment, then began jumping building to building with Arthur. 

Arthur stopped in an alleyway. Tick jumped off the building beside it and landed beside Arthur. “Is it here, Chum? Pup? Pupper?”

“If they haven't saved it yet.”

Arthur walked into the alleyway. He looked around, not seeing anything. “I think it's probably at the shelter, which is good. We can check up on it but it might not be available right now.”

“Okay.” Tick looked giddy. Since they were alone, Arthur set a hand on his shoulder and leant up onto his toes, kissing Tick's lips. 

“Calm down.” He said softly. “You need to be gentle with the dog.”

Tick nodded. “I feel very peaceful.” He said, putting his large hands on Arthur's waist. “Don't worry, Chum.”

Arthur draped his arms around Tick's shoulders and leant up to give him another faint kiss. “If you say so…”

Tick laughed. “Let's go to the shelter.” He said. 

“Okie.” He took Tick's hand and, just for good measure, kissed him again.

He heard a squeal from the end of the alleyway and turned behind them. A woman was standing there with her phone out.


	21. Virtual Chat Rooms For Dogs

Tick looked unbothered. Arthur looked like his terrible secret was about to be dumped out onto the world.

“Hello, Citizen!” Tick waved the hand he was holding Arthur's with. “What brings you to such a beautiful alleyway this fine day?”

The citizen stood, shocked that he spoke with her. “Why, I-I was just passing!” She said. She had an English accent. 

“I like your voice!” Tick put his hands on his hips. “I have a faintly familiar forepassing with such speech… and somehow it reminds me of myself!” He looked off, expression clouded for a moment. 

“Uh, Tick… dog?” Arthur said. Tick snapped out of it and immediately brightened. 

“We're going to adopt a dog!” He said to the pedestrian. “A dog!!”

“Awww! Arthur, make sure to make an Instagram account for the lucky pupper.” She said and waved. 

Arthur gave her a thumbs up. “Okay...” He mumbled.

Tick put his hand on Arthur's shoulder. “Fantastic! A virtual chat room created for purely looking at dogs? Does your social media get any better, Arthur?”

“Meme pages.” Arthur said and turned. “This way. Let's go.”

“Hm.” Tick hummed. “Arthur, what's a… ‘meme’?”

Arthur rubbed his thumb over Tick's knuckles absently. “A video or image spread rapidly over the internet. Usually something funny.” He looked up at Tick and smiled.

Tick smiled back at him. “An inside joke between internet consumers? Can I see what you mean?”

Arthur laughed. “Absolutely not.”

“Okay!” Tick didn't understand, but he laughed, too. 

“Everything would go over your head.” Arthur said. 

Tick nodded. “That's fair.” 

They got to the shelter. Arthur went to ask a volunteer about the stray dog they'd told them about. 

“She's here!” The volunteer told him. “She must've been newly stray, because she's not in too bad of a shape. We'll set out some ads looking for someone to adopt her very soon.”

“Well, yeah, I was wondering if… maybe we could?” Arthur asked. 

Tick looked ecstatic. “I'm gonna be a daddy.” He said, giddy. His heart was full thinking of being a dog dad. He put his hand on Arthur's back. “You will be, too! We're gonna be daddies.”

“Calm down, Big T.” Arthur whispered to him. “We need to do the paperwork first.”

Tick looked disgusted. “Paperwork!” He crossed his arms.

“Tick, I'm doing the paperwork. Don't worry. You can play with the dog while I'm busy.”

Tick smiled again and walked away. A volunteer lead him to the dog.

The shelter wasn't too big and didn't have anywhere inside Arthur could sit, so he went outside and sat on the roof as he filled out the paperwork to adopt the dog.


	22. Dog

When Arthur walked back into the shelter, he saw Tick treating the dog with respect and mindfulness. The dog loved him. He loved the dog. 

It. was. so. cute.

Arthur turned in the paperwork, then went to Tick and sat down with him. “Okay, we'll be able to bring her home a few days.” He said. 

“Why not today?” Tick frowned. 

“Because the shelter wants to keep her until all of her medical reports are in. One to two days, Tick.”

Tick cupped his hands under the snout of the dog, who looked at him with a lopsided smile. 

“Who's a cutie?! You are! You are!” Tick said, kissing the dog's snout. 

The dog responded by barking and trying to get closer to Tick, licking him excitedly.

“She needs a name!” Tick said. 

“We'll decide on it later.” Arthur sat down with Tick. “Hey, girl…” He reached out his hand. The dog sniffed and then licked him. He smiled and pet the dog. “She is very beautiful,” He commented.

The dog looked at Arthur, panting. She barked, demanding his attention. 

Arthur and Tick pet her, saying stuff like, ‘’good girl’ and, 'who's the best doggy.’

She is. 

She's the best doggy.

It was hard to pull them away from the dog.


	23. Shopping

“I am vexed, Chum,” Tick said as they walked alongside each other, hand in hand.

“Why?” Arthur asked. 

Tick looked down to his friend. “I can't get that precious pup out of my mind.” He shook his head. “Do we need to clean the house?”

The apartment was already clean. Arthur shook his head. “No.”

“Do we need to buy a doghouse?”

“No.”

“Will we get the supplies for her?”

“That's where we're going now.”

“And when will we walk her?”

“On our patrols, okay? She already seems decently trained and she could even help us if we lose someone, like when those people attacked me. She could probably sniff their location.”

Tick grunted. “Those alley-dwelling, Arthur-hurting pieces of rotten pie.” 

Arthur nodded. “Yeah. Wouldn't it be nice to know where they went?”

Tick perked up. “Look! A pet store!”

“That's where we're--”

“Arthur, we might as well stop to buy our darling pup some food.”

“And toys,” Arthur said, taking out his wallet. 

“And a bed and oh! Clothes!” Tick almost squealed. 

They walked inside. An employee turned towards them with a look Arthur was really getting used to. A sort of, ‘Hey, the superheroes! Here! Around me! Oh my gosh!’ sort of look. 

Arthur smiled kindly-- well, no, he smiled the best an awkward, socially anxious accountant could-- and asked where the dog section was.

“I-it's over there.” The employee seemed to mentally kill himself for stuttering. He pointed to the dog section.

“Thank you.” Tick said. He followed Arthur.

“The dog is so fluffy,” Tick said absently as Arthur looked for things. “Did you see her stomach? Her chest? Her ears are so curly. It's like your hair got longer and curlier.”

Arthur nodder and hummed in response to Tick. He gathered everything and lead Tick, who was still gushing over the dog, back to the front. 

He paid for it all and carried two bags while Tick excitedly held the rest. 

They got to the apartment and Kevin stopped them before they could go in.

“Hey, guys… What's with all the stuff?” He asked. 

“We're! Getting! A! Dog!” Tick answered excitedly.

“Oh… cool.” Kevin smiled and let them go upstairs. He mumbled, "Be careful…" As they passed.

Tick let down everything. Arthur gently placed his bags down. 

“You look excited.” Arthur said.

“That's because I am.” Tick responded. 

Arthur took his hand and blushed. He was going to say something like, 'I like it when you're excited’ or, 'you're cute when you're like this’, but his tongue got tied and he just looked at their hands.

Tick set his other hand on Arthur's shoulder. “Are you excited?” He questioned. 

“Yes,” Arthur nodded. “I love dogs. I always wanted one when I moved out of my parent's house-- that's why I moved into an apartment that allows animals-- but I never got one. I guess having one could've helped with my… issues…”

Tick wrapped his arms around Arthur. “No time to look in the past, Chum!”

Arthur smiled and wrapped his arms around Tick. “Yeah. And she is a beautiful dog. Let's come up with a name for her.”


	24. Cuddled Up

Tick and Arthur laid on their bed, looking through baby name websites.

Tick was spooning Arthur, hugging him close. He had his chin on his boyfriend's head.

Arthur snuggled into Tick. 

"What's that one?" Tick pointed to a name. Arthur kissed his thumb.

"Tater Tot."

"Aw."

Tick dropped his hand and placed it on Arthur's stomach. They continued scrolling.

"Skittles," Tick cooed.

Arthur giggled and turned around to kiss Tick's lips. "Taste the rainbow."

Tick's antennae curved quizzically. He didn't understand the reference to the candy company or the reference to being gay, but he liked that Arthur kissed him.

Arthur smiled at him and sunk back down, continuing to scroll through the site. 

"Ricket... Marshmallow... Spice..." Tick hummed the names.

"Spicey." Arthur giggled.

Tick kissed Arthur's head. "Silly boyfriend," He said. 

"Silly Tick..." Arthur hugged Tick's thick arm and peppered a few kisses on it. 

They settled and looked back to the website. Tick continued reading. "Lemon..."

"She is very bright."

"But not like a lemon."

Arthur nodded. 

"... Raisin, Coco, Ike, Kiwi, Sushi..."

"These are all so cute." Arthur gushed. "I could name her all of these."

Tick curled his fingers into Arthur's suit. "I don't know. They're very cute, but I feel like I already know the perfect name, I just can't think of what it is..."

Arthur put his phone down and turned onto his back, using Tick's bicep as a pillow. He closed his eyes.

Tick and Arthur sat silently for awhile. Then Tick jumped. "Ahah!" He yelled.

"Ah! What?!" Arthur asked, grabbing his chest. Tick had startled him quite a bit.

Tick grabbed Arthur's hips and pulled him in for a hug. "Destiny!"

Arthur hugged him back. "Destiny what?"

"The name! For the dog!"

"Okay," Arthur laughed. "Okay. Yeah. I should've expected that. But I get to chose the middle name."


	25. Waiting

Tick was bubbling all day. Arthur could barely take him outside. He would stop strangers and exclaim to them about how they were getting their dog soon.

So they were sitting in the living room, laying with each other on the couch. 

Tick tilted his cheek into the top of Arthur's head, rubbing his back. “When can we pick her up?”

“At six.”

“What time is it?”

“One.” Arthur drew little circles into Tick's chest. 

“How much longer is that? Five hours?”

“About.” 

Tick sighed. He rested his hand on Arthur's lower back. “Unbelievable. I hate waiting.”

Arthur pulled himself up a little and leaned over Tick, kissing his lips. “We can do something to pass the time…” He mumbled. 

“Like what?” Tick asked, looking up at his friend.

“I don't know…” Arthur blushed, feeling shy. 

Tick closed his eyes and leant back. 

Arthur took his hand and occupied himself with looking at how much bigger Tick's hands were. 

Tick sighed, bored. He started tapping his fingers on Arthur's back. He couldn't stand it anymore. He needed to move.

He moved his hand away from Arthur's and grabbed his waist, pulling him up and kissing him sort of roughly. Arthur squeaked, and then relaxed. 

He cupped Tick's face and kissed him back, moving up and sitting on top of him, straddling his abdomen.

They kissed for a while, then Arthur pulled away to breathe.

Tick sat up and they kissed again. Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick and pulled him closer, already excited. 

They kissed for a few more minutes, getting more passionate, but Arthur broke it again and pulled back. He pulled off his shirt and dropped it on the floor.

Tick smiled and wrapped his arms around him, switching their positions so he was above. He pinned Arthur down and kneeled above him, kissing him passionately. He put his hand on Arthur's leg and lifted it up. Arthur moaned quietly and tilted his head. 

“Ah,” He squeaked, grabbing the couch. His hands started shaking. Tick kissed his neck. 

“Are you okay?” Tick asked. Arthur leant his head into Tick, breathing heavily. Tick's clear voice sent all sorts of emotions through Arthur.

“Auh…” Arthur opened his eyes. He looked up at Tick and nodded. His eye started twitching and he looked away quickly.

Tick relaxed. He pulled away. “I almost forgot you did that,” Tick said. He cupped Arthur's cheek. “What are you thinking about? Why are you stressed?”

Arthur closed his eyes tightly. “I'm just nervous…” He whispered, sounding hollow and meek. 

“About what?” 

Arthur thought back to the last conversation he had with Sage and laughed awkwardly. “Nothing.” He wrapped his arms around Tick's neck and pulled him in. 

They had enough activity to keep them until six.


	26. Destiny

Tick was bright the moment he stepped into the animal shelter. 

Arthur was lagging behind, staring at his feet. 

He felt really anxious for some reason. He felt like people were looking at him and thinking things like, ‘The city superheroes are faggets’, like they could look through his soul and see that he and Tick had spent the last five hours making out and cuddling with each other instead of looking after the city. 

“Arthur!” Tick yelled.

Arthur hurried up. Maybe he was feeling too guilty about this. There was nothing wrong with being gay, and there was nothing wrong with falling in love with someone as irresistible as Tick. 

He entered the shelter and looked around, then found Tick with Destiny already. 

He walked over to them. “Hey, Destiny…”

“Destiny,” Tick booped her nose. “Everest-Tick,”

Destiny barked and jumped onto Tick, licking all over his face. Tick loved her so much. He kissed her and hugged her. 

“Arthur, she's so perfect,” Tick managed to choke out.

Arthur held out the collar and leash he brought. “She is.”

Tick put the collar on her and attached her to her leash. “You are so beautiful… yes you are… yes you are…” He kissed her forehead. Destiny nuzzled him. 

Arthur laughed. “Aw, you two are so cute.” He said.

“Arthur, come on. You're her dad, too!” He grabbed Arthur's hand and yanked him over. 

Arthur knelt down with Destiny and Tick. He pet the dog. “This is my destiny…” he mumbled. 

“My Destiny,” Tick wrapped an arm around Arthur. “And my Arthur.” He kissed the corner of Arthur's lips. 

Arthur blushed and glanced around real quick to see if anyone had seen. He wrapped his arms around Tick and gave him a lazy side hug. 

“Let's bring her home.”

Tick stood up and they thanked the shelter endlessly. Arthur had to deal with a payment before they walked out, Destiny trotting along beside.

Some people stopped them and complimented Destiny. 

Tick loved it. He responded with, “Oh, I know. She's gorgeous.” 

Arthur just watched. And admired. 

The sight was literally the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. 

Big, blue Tick, confidently walking with the most gorgeous, golden dog with a similar confident stride. 

Tick paused and and looked at Arthur. He took his hand. “We look good together.” He said. 

Arthur smiled and held his hand. “I think so, too.”

They held hands and walked along with their dog, who was sniffing and looking around excitedly. Tick held Arthur close, saying things like, “Look at the cute little brown dots on her snout and legs,” and, “look at all of that extra fluff.”

Arthur had never seen Tick so infatuated with something before. 

“What breed is she again?” Tick asked. 

“English Cocker Spaniel.”

“Those are my favourite now.”

Arthur nodded. “Beautiful dogs.” He said. 

He and Tick walked back to their apartment and brought Destiny in. 

The dog looked around the apartment and started trotting around, sniffing things. 

Arthur filled her food bowl and water bowl up and squatted down with her as she drank. 

He stroked her back. “Good dog,” He hummed. 

Tick put his hand in Arthur's hair. Arthur looked up.

“And good Arthur!” Tick said. He bent down to be with them and cupped Arthur's cheeks, kissing him and then hugging the dog, who leant into his arms happily.  

When Destiny was done running around, she jumped into the couch with Arthur and laid her head on his lap. 

Arthur put an arm around her and smiled. He zoned out.


	27. Play Date

Arthur woke up sometime later when something was tickling his face. He shifted for a bit, then turned and curled up, grumbling. He couldn't feel Destiny beside him. 

“Tick,” He yawned. 

“Yes?” Tick called. That's when Arthur realised there had been voices before, but now they were quiet.

He sat up and jumped. “Oh!” He squeaked.  

“I invited Lobstercules and her children over to meet Destiny!” Tick said. 

“I can see that now…” Arthur smiled and held out his hand to one of the children, who had been cuddling into the pillow beside his head. 

The tiny lobster trilled in response. It tilted its head, brushing its feelers against Arthur's fingers. 

Arthur looked into the kitchen. Lobstercules was sitting at the table with her claws in her lap, obviously happy. Tick was sitting across from her. He had a kettle of coffee in his hand. Lobstercules had a cup. 

Destiny was in the living room with Arthur. She was sleeping, and the babies were cuddling her or seeing who could hide the best under her fluff. Destiny didn't seem to mind. At least she didn't think that the kids were food. 

Arthur fixed his hair and picked up his glasses, which were on the coffee table. He figured Tick had laid him down, tucked him in, and removed his glasses. 

He stood up and picked up the baby lobster on the couch. He walked into the kitchen and leant against the counter. 

“Want some coffee, Chum?” Tick offered the kettle. Arthur shook his head and stroked the baby's back comfortingly. 

“I'm good.” He said. 

“I've caught Lobstercules up with us.” He said, smiling proudly. 

“Did he do it right?” Arthur turned to the mother, who shrugged.

“You two are dating now?” She asked. Her voice was so level. So calm and soothing. 

“Yeah…” Arthur blushed a little. He wondered what exactly Tick had told her. 

The three chatted for awhile. Eventually, Arthur walked to the living room to check on the babies. He set the one he was holding down by Destiny, who opened her eyes for a moment to look, then nudged the baby affectionately and went back to sleep.

Another one of the lobsters held up his claws to Arthur, humming.

Arthur sat down and pet the lobster, who purred and leant into his hand in response.

“Now look,” Tick said, in a light, admiring tone. He was pointing through the hole towards Arthur. “Look at how gentle that man is. Look at how beautiful he is. He is amazing...” Tick stared at Arthur, obviously love struck. 

Arthur looked back since he could hear him. He smiled, blushing. He turned back to the children and pet one. 

Tick and Lobstercules continued talking. Arthur zoned out, absently playing with the babies. 

He was shook out of his trance when Tick put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey, Lobstercules wants to give the babes some food.” He said.

Arthur stood up and let Lobstercules collect the singing children. Arthur and Tick went back to the kitchen. 

Tick was watching. “I wonder how it tastes to her.” He said. 

“Probably better than it tasted for you.” Arthur answered.  He sat on the counter and put his cheeks in his hands, staring at Tick.


	28. Speak

Of course, everyone had to come over and meet the dog. Once Lobstercules decided it was time to go, they left and Arthur's parents met Destiny, then Dangerboat called and asked if they could bring her over. 

So now the two were walking over to Dangerboat, Destiny walking alongside them, panting excitedly and looking everywhere.

They got to the boat. “Hey!” Arthur yelled. 

“Arthur!” Dangerboat sounded so excited. He opened the door and invited them inside. 

Overkill stared at the dog as it entered. He didn't have the best experience with dogs. 

“Oh my gosh, she's so cute!” Dangerboat said. “What's her name?”

“Destiny, of course!” Tick answered. 

Destiny sniffed around the boat, then stopped beside Overkill and looked at him. 

“Hey, girl,”  He mumbled gruffy, reaching down and giving her a quick scratch. She barked, sniffing him and pushing her nose into his leg. 

“She likes you.” Arthur said, smiling. 

“Yeah.” Overkil pulled his legs up and crossed them. “Looks like she does.”

Dangerboat trilled. “She's very beautiful. Is she trained?” 

Arthur squatted down and clapped. “Hey, Destiny!” He said. 

She turned to him, smiling, and ran into his arms, wagging her tail. 

“She seems decently trained,” Arthur said, petting her. “We haven't really tested it out.”

“Why don't you try?”

Arthur nodded and held out his hand. “Shake.” He said.

Destiny put her paw on his hand. 

“Speak!” Overkill said. 

Destiny barked and turned to him, smiling. 

“In English,” Overkill muttered suspiciously.

She barked again. Arthur rolled his eyes. “She can't speak English, Overkill.”

“I don't believe you. She has a knowing look on her face.”

Arthur played with her ears. “You can't speak English, can you, baby? No, no you can't.” He kissed her snout. 

Overkill glared at them then turned away, looking at his phone. 

Dangerboat couldn't believe him. He was ridiculous. They continued talking about the dog.


	29. Shadow

Arthur didn't get why Overkill was so suspicious of Destiny. She was just a dog. Not all dogs had smooth, deep voices that could handle speaking English.

They walked her back home after a while. Some more people stopped to ask them about the dog and tell them about how beautiful she was.

It was getting sort of late now. Tick wasn't tired and Arthur had already had a nap, so they decided to just walk around until dark.

When it was dark out and nobody else was out, Arthur started to a be a little affectionate.

He wrapped his arm around Tick's and looked up to him. 

Tick looked oblivious. Arthur frowned. 

“Do you remember what we were doing earlier?” 

“What were we doing earlier?” Tick asked, looking down at Arthur and smiling warmly.

Arthur stopped Tick from walking. “Tick,  something is seriously wrong with your brain.

Destiny pulled on the leash and they looked at her. She started barking and sniffing.

“What?” Arthur whispered to the dog, dropping his concerns with Tick for a moment. 

Destiny barked excitedly.

They both looked at where Destiny was barking. There was a shadow walking towards them. 

Pure. Black. Shadow. Walking towards them.

“Monster!” Tick stepped forward. “You face, The Tick!”

“Calm down.” Said a deep voice. A black dog stepped into the light. He looked at Destiny. “I heard you got a dog.”

She barked at him.

“Midnight! My favourite author.” Tick relaxed.

“Oh, hi Midnight…” Arthur mumbled. 

The dog panted lightly. “She's very… bright.” He said. 

Arthur pulled Destiny closer. She barked and looked up at him.

“Yes! She's beautiful!” Tick said. He gave Destiny a pet.

Midnight barked. Destiny excitedly pat her front paws on the ground, barking back. 

The German Shepherd looked amused with the conversation. Destiny looked excited. 

Arthur felt uncomfortable, so he pet Destiny. “Hey, we're gonna go home…” He mumbled.

Midnight stepped closer and sniffed them. “You know… I saw you two on the roof earlier.”

Arthur sighed angrily. “Of course you did.”

“An A.E.G.I.S drone was nearby.”

“And you saw the recording?”

“I was with Ty.”

Arthur grumbled something and started walking away.

“You should be expecting a call from him soon.” Midnight said as Arthur walked away.

Tick waved. “Bye, Midnight.” He followed with Destiny. 

Arthur jumped up and flew away. Tick watched him, then looked around, confused. He looked at Destiny, then turned and faced at Midnight.

“Excuse me,” Tick smiled nicely. “Do you know where Arthur's apartment is?”

Midnight smiled back and started walking. “This way.”


	30. Crying

“Thank you, Midnight!” Tick said as they arrived at the building. 

“You're welcome. Bye, Tick.” He turned to Destiny. “Goodbye, Destiny.” 

Midnight walked away. Tick waved, then went upstairs.

He walked to 6C. He could remember that at least. He broke open the door and walked inside. “Arthur!” He called. 

He closed the door and took the collar off of Destiny. She ran off. 

Tick turned on the light and walked around to find Arthur, who was sitting on the bed, his face in his hands. 

He was crying.

Tick sat down beside him. “Chum?”

“Go away…” Arthur pushed him effortlessly. 

“What's wrong?”

“Everything!”

Arthur looked really upset. Tick got off the bed and walked to Arthur's closet. 

“Do you want to talk?” He asked innocently, pulling out a big sweater and pajama pants.

Arthur curled up and cried silently. 

Tick folded the clothes and placed them on the bed. He stood in front of Arthur.

He took his helmet off and placed it on the nightstand. He took his glasses and placed them to the side. 

He walked into the kitchen and let Arthur take off his suit. Tick got a glass of water and returned to the bedroom. 

Arthur was putting on the big sweater. Tick sat on the bed and handed him the cup.

Arthur was honestly surprised. He sipped the water, then made a face. “Why is this so hot? Did you turn the hot water faucet?”

Tick shrugged. 

Arthur sighed and put the glass to the side. 

Okay. Tick wasn't perfect but he tried. 

“What's wrong?” Tick asked sweetly. 

Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick. “You don't understand… We made a mistake…”

Tick put his hand on the back of Arthur's head. He played with his hair. 

“It's okay,” He cooed, pulling Arthur onto his lap. 

Arthur put his hand on his boyfriend's chest and buried his face into Tick's neck. He melted into him and sobbed. 

Tick cradled him. “Tell me how you feel.”

Arthur just cried into Tick for a few minutes. Tick pat his back calmly, mumbling compliments and reassurances.

Finally, Arthur breathed in and stopped sobbing. He reached up to wipe his face, but then Tick cupped his cheek and made him look up. He kissed the tears away. 

Arthur smiled sadly. “Oh, Tick…” He whispered, smiling as Tick peppered his face with kisses. 

“Tell me why you're sad.” Tick said. 

Arthur couldn't help but feel loved. He relaxed and curled up on Tick's lap. 

“Okay…” He whispered. He closed his eyes and leant his face into Tick's chest.

He took another moment, then started explaining.

“Tick… Do you remember what I said about being gay?” 

Tick nodded. “Two men loving each other.”

Arthur smiled. “Yeah…” He frowned again. “I'm gay. I've been gay for a very long time. I never wanted anyone but my mom and Walter to know…” he looked away and a tear rolled down his cheek. “And now everyone will know… and even worse… They'll know about us…”

“What's so bad about that?” Tick asked curiously.

“People can be really mean…” Arthur answered. He frowned and looked back up to Tick. 

“Because we were kissing?” Tick asked. Arthur nodded.

“Look, if that video gets leaked, I'm never going to live that down. I don't want people to see us making out…” he put his face in his hands again. 

Tick laid Arthur down “Go to sleep, Honey.” He hummed.

“Will you… hold me…?” Arthur asked. The hopeful look in his eyes made Tick's heart melt. 

Tick laid down. “Of course.”

He got under the blanket and pulled Arthur to his chest. Arthur melted into his big sweater and snuggled into Tick's muscles. 

Arthur pressed his forehead against Tick's chest and put his face in his hands. 

Tick held him and rubbed Arthur's arms and back, comforting him. He listened to Arthur cry himself to sleep. 

It was so heartbreaking. Tick didn't understand at all. He was up late holding Arthur, far after he'd finally stopped crying and just laid there, looking broken and sad. 

At some point, Destiny jumped onto the bed and curled up against Arthur's back.

Tick kissed Arthur's forehead, then fell asleep.


	31. Terrible Morning

Arthur woke up to buzzing. He blinked blindly, then sat up and reached towards his night stand. He grabbed his helmet and put it on. 

“Arthur!”

Arthur jolted. He laid back down and put his hand on Destiny. Tick wasn't with him. 

“T-T-T-Ty.” He sad, stuttering, eye twitching. This whole situation was stressful. 

“Jesus, Arthur! You look like you've been crying!”

Arthur put his goggles away and wiped his face, then let them back out. “I have.” He mumbled dryly. His throat was sore. 

Ty looked surprised.

“W-what do you want…?” Arthur whispered. 

“Hey, buddy, you wanna come see me over here? When you're ready? We can have a croissant and talk.”

“I don't feel like talking…”

Then Tick appeared at the doorway. “Arthur?  You're awake! Are you alright?” 

Arthur put his face in his hands and retracted the helmet. “Tick, not now.”

“Okay, I--”

“Not now!” Arthur yelled. Tick could hear the pain in his voice.

Tick walked into the room and sat down on the bed. He hugged Arthur. Arthur started shaking and tried not to cry while he was on the phone with Ty.

Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick. “W-we can meet up later, Ty… not...not… I-I can't r-right now…” He was shaking even more. Tick cradled him. 

“That's okay, Arthur. Talk to me later, okay? Don't stress yourself out. You probably know why I'm calling and--”

Arthur started sobbing again. 

Ty was shocked. He listened to Arthur cry, then collected himself and tried to comfort him. “It's not a big problem, Arthur! It's okay! It's okay! Stop crying…!”

“He'll have to call you later, Dino-Man.” Tick said. Arthur hung up and threw his helmet off. He stood up and stumbled out of bed. He ran to the bathroom and locked the door. 

Tick got up, not knowing what to do now.

“Destiny,” He pet the dog. “Come on. Let's cheer up daddy.”

Destiny got out of bed and they stood by the bathroom door. “Arthur?” Tick called. 

“I need to be alone!” Arthur said. 

“Come on! I made breakfast.” 

Arthur took a few minutes, then walked out. He looked ill and very pale. “What's for breakfast?” He asked quietly. Tick excitedly lead him to the kitchen.

He gave Arthur a poptart with peanut butter on it, beaming. “I made this myself.”

Arthur was about to cry again, but this time by how pure Tick was.

“Thank you so much…” He whispered. 

He got himself a drink and went into the living room. He sat on the couch and ate his peanut butter poptart silently. 

Tick messed around in the kitchen. “Arthur, Darling,” Tick called. “Where is the dog food?”

Arthur directed him to the cabinet with the dog food, then gave him step by step instructions on how to give it to Destiny. Tick got it done after fumbling for a little bit.

When he was done, he walked into the living room and plopped down next to Arthur.

“I love you.” Tick said. He leant over and started peppering kisses onto Arthur's neck and jawline.

Arthur finished his poptart and took a quick drink, then put the cup down and turned to look at Tick. 

He sat back and reached up, brushing his fingers against Tick's antennae. Tick paused.

“Arthur…” He whispered quietly. 

Arthur wrapped his fingers around Tick's antenna, catching him off guard.

“How sensitive are these?” He whispered curiously. 

Tick closed his eyes. “Quite sensitive, Arthur…” He answered. 

Arthur rubbed his thumb on the antenna. Tick closed his mouth and stayed silent, completely still. 

Arthur didn't see Tick quiet so often. He was pleasantly surprised. 

“How does that feel?” Arthur asked. 

Tick slowly eased into a laying position. He put his head on Arthur's lap. “Sort of nice…” 

Arthur smiled and played with Tick's antennae.

Tick shifted. “Why… Are you touching… My antennae…?” He questioned slowly.

“I don't know…” Arthur answered. “Is it okay?”

“Yeah.” Tick looked into the kitchen and stared at Destiny. 

Arthur giggled. He stretched his legs out on each side of Tick. “How does it feel?”

“I feel calm.” Tick responded. 

Arthur leant over and kissed his forehead. Tick wiggled his antennae and made his boyfriend giggle again. “Can you really control these things? That's crazy.”

“Yeah,” Tick smiled.

Arthur stroked his antenna again. “Hm. I really wonder what you are.” He said. Then, he got up. “We gotta meet Ty.” He shuffled off.

Tick laid down for a few more minutes, wiggling his antennae and shaking the fuzzy feeling out of his head. 

When he finally did, he got up and ran into the bedroom. 

Tick grabbed Arthur's shoulders and spun him around. He pulled him in and hugged him. 

“I said love you, you know,” He mumbled. 

Arthur hugged him back and smiled. “I love you, too.”


	32. Bold

Tick poked Arthur's shoulders playfully. “Vleh.” He said. 

“Oof,” Arthur giggled. He grabbed Tick's finger when he went to poke again and decided to get back at him. He licked it, making Tick retract his hand in shock. Arthur stuck out his tongue playfully.

“What, have you been taking kissing lessons from Destiny?” Tick asked. 

Arthur smiled, giggling to himself. He put his hands together and stuffed them between his thighs, looking away innocently. 

“You guys are so weird…” An agent said, walking past them.

Arthur shrugged shyly and looked at the ground. 

They were sitting in A.E.G.I.S., waiting to talk with Ty. 

“Thank you!” Tick said loudly. “We're oddities.”

Arthur smiled to himself. “You are quite odd, Tick.” He said. 

“And so are you, my extraordinary Chum!” Tick smiled widely. Arthur moved closer and Tick took his hand. “I'm going to lick your hand.”

“Ew, no!” Arthur laughed, ripping his hand away and putting it back between his thighs.

Tick laughed and pulled Arthur against his chest, kissing his neck and licking it.  

“Eew! Aha! Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick!” Arthur struggled against his stronger friend. 

Tick pressed a slobbery kiss against Arthur's neck, making him laugh and wiggle around.

“Noo!” Arthur pushed against his boyfriend, rolling his head around and trying to hide his neck. “T-Tick! Tick!”

Tick squeezed him and let him go, giggling.

“Ew!” Arthur laughed, rubbing his neck. “You're disgusting.” 

They heard someone clear their throat and the pair looked up. Immediately, Arthur sat up straight. Tick didn't move.

“Hello, Gentlemen.” Ty said. 

“H-hello, Ty.” Arthur mumbled.

Tick, the master of not feeling embarrassment, waved happily and excitedly. “Hello! Are we ready for our appointment?”

Ty nodded and walked back into his office. Arthur stood up and Tick followed. They walked inside. 

“You two really get along…” Ty mumbled knowingly, standing by his chair. He motioned to the chairs for Arthur and Tick to sit down in. 

Arthur was still smiling a little. He turned and looked at Tick, who had an oblivious expression.

“Look, I know about you two. Basically everyone does. It's not like you two even try to hide it.”

Now Arthur wasn't smiling. 

“You're usually cuddling and holding hands out in public. No friends do that you know.”

“That doesn't mean we can't.” Tick said. “We are an extraordinary pair, Tyrannosaurus. We're not normal friends.” 

“I know… But after what our drones caught… You're not even friends, are you? You're dating?”

Arthur looked down. He looked ashamed and worried. Tick noticed and got protective.

“You're gonna make Arthur upset.” Tick grabbed Arthur's chair and pulled him closer. He wrapped an arm around Arthur's shoulders. “After I finally got him in a good mood again!”

“Tick.” Ty sighed. “What I'm trying to say is that you two shouldn't be so lovey-dovey out on the streets. Who knows who could catch you next.”

Arthur curled up a little. Tick rubbed his back. 

“Is it because we're gay?” Tick asked accusingly. Arthur looked up, surprised. Had Tick really remembered? He turned to Ty and looked at his shocked face. 

Ty picked himself up and immediately shook his head. “No, no, no! I don't have anything against homosexuals--” Tick looked confused. He didn't know that word. “-- but it's just not professional. You have to agree. You were making out on a roof.”

“We'll make out on your desk if you don't shut your mouth.” Tick said. His antennae curved at the center, as if he were engaging in battle. 

Arthur was thoroughly shocked. He shook his head. “U-uh-uh-m-nn uh n-n-no, Ty, we won't…” Arthur stammered.

“Chum,” Tick looked at his friend and took his hand. “you don't have to speak. I saw how upset this made you. I know how upset you got thinking people will suddenly hate you for loving me. It's okay, because I'm here to protect you. If anyone disagrees with us, then I disagree with them.”

Tick stood up and took a bold stance. He stared down Ty, confident and angry. 

“I love Arthur.” He said. “With all of my heart. I love him more than anything.” He looked down at Arthur and pulled him up, holding his hand. “I really love you.” He had a love-struck expression as he stared at Arthur.

Arthur mumbled a shy, 'love you, too.’ Back to him.

“I have to say, Tick, I wasn't expecting this.” Ty grumbled. “I don't think I could make you hide then, huh?” 

“No.” 

Arthur hid behind Tick shyly.

Tick's confidence didn't falter in the slightest, but eventually Ty sat down, defeated. “Have a good night, boys.” He said.

Tick was about to leave, then he paused and cupped Arthur's cheeks, leaning down and kissing him roughly and passionately. Arthur put his hands on Tick's chest, eyes wide when he pulled away. 

Ty was staring at them, shocked. 

Tick glared back at Ty and smiled. “Bye.” He said. He dragged Arthur out. 

They got out of the building and Arthur looked up at Tick. People were standing all around, but he didn't see them. He didn't care. The only other one there was Tick. 

“That was really amazing…” Arthur whispered. He felt all sorts of excited. He felt impressed. Tick knew more than he got credit for. "Thank you for standing up for us."

“I just really love you…” Tick responded.

Arthur let go of both of Tick's hands. He smiled and wrapped his arms around Tick, leaning up and kissing him passionately.


	33. Feeling Faint

Cameras clicked as they took pictures of Tick and Arthur. People were talking. 

All of the sounds were starting to make Arthur feel dizzy and trapped. He pulled away, panting. He wanted to get out of there. What was he thinking?! Kissing Tick out in public?!

“Oh--” Arthur's cheeks were burning. “Okay, Tick,” Arthur fell against Tick's chest, hiding his face from the cameras. “Tick, I need to go...”

He felt really dizzy. Tick pat his back. “Okay. Let's go.” He took a step away. Arthur swayed, then fell over. 

“Arthur!” Tick dropped to his side. “Arthur!?”

Arthur wasn't responding. Tick picked him up. “Oh, oh geez,” He looked around at the crowd of people surrounding them, lost.

“Is he okay?!” The fans called.

“Do any of you know where his apartment is?” Tick asked. “I think he should just… lay down.”

Nobody knew where he lived. Tick went back inside the A.E.G.I.S. building and to the superhero lounge. He laid Arthur on the couch. 

“Ey, Tick.” Sage said. Flexon Sage, and Bronzestar were there. 

“Woah, is Arthur okay?” Bronzestar asked, getting up and walking over. The other two noticed and got up, too. 

“I don't know,” Tick said worriedly. He knelt by the couch. “Arthur? Chum?”

Flexon walked off and got a napkin. He wet it with cold water and came back, putting it on Arthur's face. “Maybe this will wake him.”

Tick took Arthur's hand and held it. “Chum, wake up.”

Arthur started twitching. Then he started shaking. Tick took the napkin off of his face. “Are you okay?!” He almost yelled it. 

The other three supers started talking, wondering if Arthur was okay and expressing their worries. 

Arthur started hyperventilating. He curled his fingers into the couch and his eye started twitching.

“Arthur! It's okay! It's okay!” Tick went to hug him. Arthur buried his face against The Tick's neck and focused on controlling his breathing. 

When he finally stopped hyperventilating, Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick. 

He hid his face. “Don't let them look at me…” He whispered shyly. “I'm a mess…”

Tick blocked Arthur from Flexon, Sage, and Bronzestar. He cradled him. “Don't worry, Arthur. We don't think you're a mess.”

“But I am…”

Tick shook his head. He rubbed Arthur's back. 

Arthur held Tick until he calmed down, then pulled away. “I'm sorry… I didn't expect to pass out.” 

“I--”

“Hey, is that you two!” Bronzestar said. He was pointing to the tv, where a newsperson was talking and a picture of Tick and Arthur was by her face. 

Sage turned the volume on.

“Just not too long ago, the city was shocked by the upcoming superheroes The Tick and Arthur. The two came out of the A.E.G.I.S. building and well… you can see yourself.”

It showed a video of Tick and Arthur walking out, hand in hand, then kissing each other.

Arthur started to feel queasy. He got up and stumbled away. Tick sat on the couch and watched. 

The newsperson continued speaking after the video. “The city seems to think that the duo plans to settle down with each other, evident by how they've been holding hands in the streets and even adopted a dog. After this stunt we are facing the first gay superhero relationship ever seen…”

Tick heard a sliding sound and looked back. He watched as Arthur slid open a window and jumped out of it. 

Tick got up and gave a cheerful goodbye to his friends, then followed Arthur.


	34. Sister Talk

Arthur was sitting with his face in his hands, at Dangertable. Overkill was thankfully gone. Arthur just wanted to talk with Dangerboat.

“I can't imagine how you're feeling.” Dangerboat said. “It was hard enough for me to come out to Overkill. I don't know how I would handle being outed to the whole world.”

“I don't know, either.” Arthur whispered. “What am I supposed to do? I shouldn't have kissed him. I shouldn't have even started anything with him… I'm sorry… I'm sorry I came to you, are you okay?”

“I am fine, Arthur. I appreciate that you came to me.”

“I just have no other gay friends…” Arthur sunk into the chair and hugged his knees. “I never had any gay friends. I could never go to anyone about problems with my sexuality before… I'm so glad I have you…”

“And I to you, Arthur. Keep talking. Just let it all out.” 

“I've been gay since I was twelve. Never told a soul.” He hid his face in his knees. “But now everyone knows…”

“It's not the worst thing in the world. You know, instead of hiding, you should become an openly gay celebrity. Stand up for all of the gays out there. All of the younger Arthurs who have yet to come out to anybody and think they need to hide it their entire life.” 

Arthur shrugged. “But a lot of people won't like that…”

“Who cares? All that matters is that you and The Tick are happy together.”

Arthur nodded. “And we are. I always imagined I would be all alone… But Tick really loves me…” He thought back to Tick standing up to Ty. He smiled a little. Looking back now, Arthur didn't feel so ashamed about it. They were a couple. Why did they have to hide it? Because they were superheroes? Because they were gay superheroes? 

Arthur stood up and hugged the wall. “Thank you. I need to find Tick. I'm sure he's very confused right now.”

As he walked out of Dangerboat, Overkill was standing at the door. “Finally!” He yelled. “I have some important evidence I need to test damn it!” He pushed Arthur aside and walked into the boat. Arthur stumbled and caught himself by grabbing onto Dangerboat. 

“I'm sorry, Overkill, but Arthur and I were talking.” He shut the door. 

Arthur looked at the door, curious. He stood up. “Hey, Dangerboat? Can I come back in?”

The door opened again. “Yes, Arthur?”

Overkill grunted in annoyance. Arthur stepped inside and turned to Overkill. “What sort of evidence?”


	35. Radiation

“While you and your blue boyfriend were prancing around the city kissing each other, Dangerboat and I picked up on some very dangerous levels of radiation under the city. That's what I went to investigate and I found some very concerning things.”

Arthur nodded. “And? What is it?” 

“None of your beeswax.” Overkill growled. 

“Very much my beeswax! What is it?”

“It's my case!”

“Maybe Arthur can help you.” Dangerboat suggested calmly. 

“No, it's okay.” Arthur walked away. “We can find out on our own.”

“It's radiation, Arthur.” Overkill said. 

Arthur walked out. 

“Go after him.” Dangerboat said. 

Overkill sighed and went to get Arthur, bringing him back in and telling him about the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very small, sorry, haha.


	36. Tasers

Arthur walked back home, mumbling to himself. Overkill didn't want him doing anything. Well, he wanted to do something. 

But now it was late and Arthur was just gonna go home.

He kicked the stones at his feet. The sun was setting and it was getting dark. People were all inside of their houses.

He sighed and made a turn to go back home. He couldn't wait to lay down with Tick and Destiny and fall asleep. 

Tick! Oh, no! Arthur had been gone for hours! Tick was probably losing it! 

He went to spring out his wings, when he heard someone talking. 

He paused and focused on their voices. 

Finally, he picked up on a word and was able to hear the conversation. 

“...And what about the money?”

Arthur snuck around to the building and pressed himself against the wall, listening. 

“You'll be paid immediately.”

“What else will I get out of it?”

“Our undying loyalty, Jacobs.”

Arthur wondered what was going on. He took a moment and breathed in, then turned on his hand tasers and stepped into the alleyway. 

“H-hey!” Arthur yelled. He got flustered and regretted stepping in. 

“Shit!” The one on Arthur's left said. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a gun. 

Arthur flinched and stepped back. 

“Jake,” the one on the right said, reaching over and pushing the gun away. “He's so tiny. Look how scared he is. He can't fight.”

“You're right, Acey.”

Arthur's eyes widened. “O-o-oh, y-you know what…” He stepped back. “You're good… I gotta… go…”

“Hulio!” Acey called. 

Arthur backed up into a body. He felt paralysed.

A knife pressed against his throat. 

“You wanna pick fights with us, little man?”Jacobs asked. 

Arthur shook his head. “I-I'm sorry…” He whispered. “Please don't hurt me...”

“Ey,” Hulio started. “Inn'it this the little faggot on the news?”

“Oh, right…” Acey looked Arthur up and down. “That's a nifty little suit you have there.”

“Y-yeah...” Arthur fidgeted with his fingers, then looked at his palms and remembered the tasers. 

“Got any money on you?” Jacobs asked. 

Arthur shook his head. As he shook his head, he scrolled through the icons in his suit. “N… no, Sir.” Arthur said. 

“Any weapons?” Acey asked.

Arthur shook his head again and landed on what he wanted. Sirens. 

“Only this!” He said, and reached back and slapped his hands on Hulio's thighs, shocking him and making him drop back. 

He nodded and the air filled with loud sirens. Jacobs and Acey gasped and looked around. “Fuck this!” Acey ran away. 

Arthur turned and shocked Hulio again for good measure.

Jacobs pulled his arm back and punched Arthur, then kicked him against the wall and pinned him there. “Turn that off, faggot!”

“No!” Arthur struggled. Jacobs was holding his wrists and stopping him from using his tasers. 

Jacobs kicked him in the gut. Arthur gasped.

“Well--!” Arthur wiggled his hand away. “If I'm such a faggot!” He grabbed the man's crotch and shocked him. 

Jacobs fell down, howling in pain. 

Arthur turned off his sirens. He was about to walk away, when there was a loud sound-- like cracking concrete-- and his entire body shook. His wrist was grabbed and something pulled him back. 

Arthur hit out his hand and it only bounced against the thick chest of his boyfriend. 

“Arthur! Did you hear that really loud sound?!”

Arthur smiled and wrapped his arms around Tick, leaning up and kissing him passionately. “Did you see me?” He asked excitedly. “I defeated these guys!” He pointed to the men on the ground. 

“Oh, Arthur! I'm so proud of you!” Tick smiled brightly. “I was so worried when I couldn't find you!”

“I'm okay!” Arthur was bouncing. He leant up and their lips crashed together again. Tick put his hand on the nape of Arthur's neck, setting his other hand on Arthur's back. 

Arthur pressed their bodies together. He was so proud of himself. He reached up to cup Tick's cheeks. Tick pulled back and whined. 

“Ow! Arthur!”

“Oh!” Arthur nodded his head to the side and landed on the taser icon. He turned it off.

He wrapped his arms around Tick's neck and pulled him back down. He tugged him towards the building.

Arthur pressed his back against the wall and Tick pinned him there. Arthur moaned against Tick's lips, pulling him closer. 

“I don't care if anyone sees,” Arthur whispered as their lips crashed together again. He bit Tick's bottom lip lightly. 

“Shouldn't we move away from these bodies?” Tick whispered. 

Arthur was about to speak again when a light shined onto them. He squinted his eyes and looked over. 

He saw a chubby police officer. “H-hey, fellas.” The officer said. “We got a call sayin’ there was a fight.”

Arthur pointed to the bodies, then looked up at Tick. “Pick me up.” He said. Tick wrapped his arms around Arthur's thighs and lifted him up. Arthur laid his chin on Tick's shoulder and draped his arm around the other one. 

He flipped off Jacobs and Hulio as Tick walked away with him. The police officer watched as he handcuffed the criminals and put them in his car.


	37. Ex Ray

Arthur sat down on the couch and snuggled under the blanket with Destiny. He was giddy and excited. He honestly felt badass. He defeated TWO men! Two!

Destiny laid her snout on Arthur's leg and looked up at him. He set a hand in her fur and twirled the long curls around. 

Tick sat down beside him. “You have this new sort of air around you,” Tick said. “like… a yearning for adventure and excitement.” 

Arthur nodded. “I feel powerful.” He looked at his hands, smiling. “Overkill found a case and I want to get on it first thing tomorrow.” 

Tick leant against the back of the couch. “When did you talk with Mr Stabby?”

“Oh. While I was gone earlier. He explained the details, but told me he didn't want me working on it. Thankfully Dangerboat sent me everything I'll need and we're gonna go tackle it.” 

“Sounds good!” Tick smiled. 

Arthur moved onto Tick's lap and leant up to kiss him. He took off his helmet quickly and set it aside.

“You've been very affectionate recently.” Tick said. He leant back and set his hands on Arthur's hips. 

“I just love you,” Arthur leant down and pressed little kisses into Tick's neck. 

“That's very obvious. Even I could figure that out.”

“Good, because you're the only person it matters with.” 

Tick smiled affectionately, leaning his head away so Arthur could kiss his neck. 

“I wonder what this stuff is,” Arthur mumbled, pressing his hand against the blue stuff that encased Tick, then trailing a finger down his boyfriend's chest and resting his hand on his thigh. “You're such an enigma.”

“Why question it, Arthur? We'll never find out what I am.”

Arthur frowned and cupped Tick's face. “We will, Tick.” 

Tick smiled hopefully and rubbed his boyfriend's back. 

Arthur curled up against Tick, closing his eyes. “Tick, I have some questions about you.”

“Yes, Arthur?” Tick sat up a little, and Arthur took the opportunity to snuggle more into his big blue mess. 

“Huhm….” Arthur looked at Destiny, who was sleeping. He turned back to The Tick and set a hand on his chest. “Is the suit uncomfortable?” He asked. Tick rose a brow. Arthur shrugged. “Like… Do you… feel like you're wearing a suit?”

“No.” Tick shook his head. 

“Okay, certainly you're not just a collection of organs trapped inside this blue container.”

“But I could be.”

“You can eat. You have bones to keep you upright. You have a brain.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Well, I don't know?” Arthur looked down. “I'm just curious to know if you… have, like… Everything…”

“Everything?”

“We should take an X-Ray!” Arthur suggested. 

“I refuse! I will not take anybody!”

“What?” Arthur looked confused. “'Take anybody’?”

“You shouldn't target people on what they used to go by.” Tick said dumbly. 

Arthur blinked. Then it clicked, and he started laughing. 

He leant in and pressed their lips together. “An X-Ray, Tick,” He whispered lovingly. “Not an ex Ray.” 

Tick gasped lightly. “Woah,” He smiled and looked at Arthur. “But what's an X-Ray?”

“It's this thing where doctors can see your bones. I wonder if it'll work through,” He knocked on Tick's chest. “This.”

Tick nodded, intrigued.

“But what I'm also curious about…” Arthur slid his hand down a little. “Is if there's anything down here?”

Tick laughed. “My legs are, silly boy.”

Arthur giggled and kissed Tick's lips. “You're so pure.”


	38. Barking

Arthur fell asleep on top of Tick, who played with his hair and hummed for awhile, then stood up with him and walked into the bedroom. 

He laid Arthur down and crawled in beside him. 

He was only there for a few minutes before Destiny started barking loudly. “Destiny!” He called.

Destiny ran into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed. She put her paws on Tick's chest and barked at him. 

Tick put his hands on her sides and played with the long waves of fur. “What's wrong?” He cooed.

Destiny barked again. Arthur opened his eyes, looking up at them. 

Destiny barked at Arthur, then jumped off of the bed and ran into the living room. 

Tick loomed at his boyfriend, who gave him a mumbled, “Check it out…”

Tick got up and followed Destiny. “What is it?” He asked sweetly. 

The dog lead him to the bathroom. “Do you wanna take a bath?” Tick joked. He put his hand on the knob and turned it. 

The door swung open. A man was standing there.

Tick smiled. “Hello! What brings you here?!” He asked happily.

The man stepped back, shocked. Destiny started growling and barking, then she paused and sniffed the air, and she went crazy. She ran back into the bedroom.

“We'll have to talk some other time.” Tick offered. He brought the man out and to the front door, then threw him out. He locked the door and followed Destiny to the bedroom. 

Destiny was standing by the open window, barking crazily. Tick followed her and looked out of it. “I don't see anything, Chum,” He said, putting his hand on Destiny's head, then he turned and looked at the bed, and Arthur wasn't there.


	39. Dark Tunnels

Arthur woke up suddenly to people tugging on him.

He could hear Tick, and he could see him standing at the bathroom doorway with Destiny, but when he tried to call out to him, he realised he couldn't speak.

Wordlessly, Arthur was pulled from his bed. Without his suit, he didn't like his chances.

He recognised who was tugging him outside-- it was Acey! Acey was probably pissed that he got Jacobs and Hulio arrested

They managed to get Arthur out the window and onto the ground.

By this point, Arthur had woken up enough that he knew there was something he could do.

He started resisting and yelling. His mouth was taped, so he screamed a mumbled, 'Tick!’ instead.

Acey knocked him out.

He woke up again in a really dark room. Arthur attempted to sit up, but was pulled back down. He laid on the bed he was in and closed his eyes.

It smelled like a wet forest in the dark room he was held in. He could hear screaming and growling and vaguely animal-sounding calls.

He looked at his left hand, which was tied down like the rest of his limbs. He wiggled his wrist. Nothing he could do.

The door opened and a woman walked inside. Arthur turned to block his eyes from the bright lights that came from the corner of her glasses.

"You're awake!" She said excitedly. She bounced over to the bed and started untying his hands. "Are you okay, Cutie-Pie?"

Arthur mumbled a tired response and sat up. She untied his ankles.

She was shockingly tall, like, Tick tall, but thin and curvy. Her hair was black, long, curly, and the tips were dyed blonde. She had icy blue eyes and big, round glasses. Her skin was quite dark, and she had a very clear, animated face.

She took Arthur's hands and pulled him up. He stumbled.

"God, where am I?" Arthur asked.

"You're at my place, silly!" She laughed.

"Why was I tied down?" If this woman fought off Acey and his friends to save Arthur, there was no reason for her to tie Arthur down.

"Oh! No reason! Come along, this way."

She held his hand, leading him out of the room. She had a very playful, bouncy walk as Arthur shuffled behind her, in a very damp, dark tunnel.

He could still hear animals and screaming. He wondered where the hell 'her place' really was.

She lead him to a kitchen-looking room and sat him down at a table. "You hungry, Sweetie?"

Arthur put his head in his hands. "Where is Tick…?" He whispered.

She shrugged, cheerily setting a cup of tea in front of Arthur. "Up on the surface, I suppose."

Arthur was shaking. "Wh… what…." He felt like he was going to have a panic attack.

"You guys are so cute together, are you gonna get married?" She sat on the edge of the table.

Arthur put his head down.

"Hey! I'm talking here." She set her hand on Arthur's head, making him shudder.

He moved away from her and mumbled, "Maybe, I don't know…"

She giggled happily. "I bet it'd be a hassle finding a ring for Tick! You'd need to get it custom!" She got off of the edge of the table. "He is so _muscular_! How does it feel dating a mountain?"

Arthur wished he was wrapped up in the arms of that mountain. He put his face in his hands.

"Aww! Don't cry, Cutie-Pie!" She walked back over to him and hugged him.

Arthur flinched and pulled away. "Please don't touch me…"

She slid into the seat beside him. "Do you like peanut butter?" She purred.

Arthur nodded slowly.

She stood up. "I made some peanut butter cookies! It's not good going into testing with an empty stomach!"

"Into what?" Arthur squeaked.

"Testing, Darling!" She brought out a jar of cookies and put it on the table in front of Arthur. "Here you go."

Arthur sheepishly took a cookie. "O-okay." He was trying not to cry, so he kept trying to imagine he was with The Tick, but that only made him sad.

He nibbled on the cookie. It was really good.

Arthur pulled together all of his courage and decided to question the woman.

"Wh-what's your name?" He asked quietly.

"My name is Anikka!" She said, bouncing. "You already met me before!"

"A-Anikka?" Arthur repeated.

Anikka giggled and said in a voice that sounded more manly than Arthur's, "Yeah, Anik!"

Arthur looked shocked. "O--oh! Anik! You bought the cookies for Tick!"

She nodded and laughed. "You two are cute~" She sounded girly and bubbly again.

"I didn't recognise you…" Arthur blushed. For some reason, he felt bad. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, Arty!" She walked over to him and leant down, then booped his nose. "You're so adorable."

Arthur leant back and looked down, eating his cookie silently.

"Yeah, I'm a pretty convincing man, if I do say so myself!" She flipped her hair.

"D-d-do you… Dress as a man often?... Or were you planning on meeting us and throwing us off or something…?" Arthur mumbled shyly. Maybe she was genderqueer?

"Whenever I want to, Baby!" She walked to her fridge and hummed, pouring some water and putting it in front of Arthur. "Don't like tea? Maybe some water?"

Arthur took the water and drank it slowly, then looked down.

He was scared.


	40. The Reason To Be

Tick was scared, too. 

He paced around Goat's store, talking to himself. Destiny laid on the floor with Ouma's cat. Overkill leant against the wall, arms crossed, Dot beside him. 

"Is he ever going to stop?" Overkill asked. 

"Unlikely." Dot responded. 

They watched for a moment longer, then Tick harshly pulled out the chair from the small table and sat down. He put his face in his hands.

"Arthur," He cried. "My beautiful partner. My chum. My light. My sun. My reason to be. Missing! Again!"

Dot sat down across from Tick. "Hey, hey, we'll find him…" She said. 

"Oh, Dot," He looked up at her. "I appreciate your positiveness." He stood up and pulled her into a tight hug. She coughed, almost telling Tick to let her go, but they were both hurting. She hugged him back.

Overkill sighed and rolled his eyes. "Guys,"

"How are you not crying!" Tick yelled.

"Hey, hey," Dot pat Tick's arm. He looked back to her. "Isn't this all destiny?" She asked.

"Destiny," Tick sobbed. The dog got up and trotted over to him. He crumpled to the floor and wrapped himself around the dog. "Destiny, why do you take Arthur away…"

He buried his face in Destiny's chest and cried softly. 

Dot lent down, petting Tick's back. 

"I don't have time for this." Overkill said. "Arthur isn't here to help me on my mission, so I'm going alone. I can't wait any longer."

"Wait, bring us!" Dot said. "Tick could use something to do."

Overkill walked out. Dot told Tick to put Destiny back in the apartment. Tick got up sadly and took Destiny's leash.


	41. Odd Couple

Overkill took them down to an abandoned subway system which lead them to long, deep, dark underground tunnels. They wandered around the tunnels. Overkill and Dot had flashlights.

"It's around here," Overkill mumbled.

Dangerboat clicked in. "You're going to wrong way." He said. 

Overkill grumbled and turned. 

"Arthur!" Tick yelled disparagingly. 

"Shut your trap!" Overkill growled. 

Tick shook his head sadly and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "Arthur…" He mumbled. 

Dot pat his back. "Come on, Tick. Look up. The happier you are, the sooner we'll find him."

Tick's antennae were drooping over his face and he was slumped over as he walked. He couldn't be happy.  

He looked up at his antennae and recalled Arthur playing with them. The thought made him sadder. 

"I love Arthur," He said to nobody in particular. He decided to distract himself from Arthur by talking about him. "He is so tiny and warm… and he is so nice… and smart… and I love it when he laughs and his smile makes me feel happy…" 

"Oh, shut up!" Overkill groaned. "I don't want to hear about how lovestruck you are with your marriage to Arthur! Personally, I think you two are quite an odd couple, and I'd rather not hear about it!"

Tick felt offended. He crossed his arms and turned the other way. "I LOVE ARTHUR!" He yelled. 

Overkill made a sort of half-grunt half-growl noise and stomped forward. He kept a distance between them. 

Dot pat Tick's back. "You and Arthur are adorable together! I think Overkill is just not used to it."

"Are we?" Tick sniffled. Dot nodded. 

"I love your brother… you know how amazing he is…" 

"I know, Tick."


	42. Testing

After hours there, Arthur finally got to understand what Anikka meant about testing.

It actually wasn't that bad at first. It was kind of like the A.E.G.I.S. testing had a baby with high school gym class. Of course, still absolutely horrible, but no torture or mentally damaging activities.

After one of these tests, Anikka took Arthur down some other doors and into a large room.

"This is my art," She said fondly, as if she were introducing her child. 

Arthur stared at cages of animals. He walked forward. "What are you doing to them?"

"I'm not hurting them!" Anikka bounced forward. 

"They're screaming!" Arthur said. 

"Not from pain, dummy! They're screaming because they're taunting each other."

She lead Arthur forward. Arthur looked closely and saw how these animals had mutations. 

"What are those?" He asked. 

"What I'll be testing with you! My first human!" She said cheerfully.

"No! No!" Arthur shook his head. 

"It's not gonna hurt! Aren't you bummed about how you're not a category? I'll make you a category!"

"Ah! NO!" Arthur shook his head. 

"Come on!" She came closer to him. Arthur freaked out and ran out of the room. 

She followed him and immediately caught up. Her legs were a lot longer and she was a lot more fit.

"Acey didn't bring you to me for me to just let you go!" She growled. She pulled Arthur up and looked him in the eyes. "You'll be happy afterwards."

Arthur shook his head, crying. "No! No! Don't touch me! Go away!" He sobbed. "Tick!! TICK!! TICK!! SUPERIAN!!!" He screamed. 

She knocked him out.


	43. Mount Everest

Superian was sitting on Mount Everest, thinking of how he should bring Arthur there and make a pun about his last name and get some more advice from him. 

Would he appreciate that? 

Who wouldn't! Going to the summit of Mount Everest without having to trek through the deadly weather!

But then Superian remembered the lack of oxygen at this height. And how cold the mountain is. Arthur would freeze and suffocate to death. 

He put his cheeks in his hands and decided to tune in to Arthur's voice. He hoped he wasn't making out (or even worse, having sex) with Tick. He kept tuning in and all he got was flirting and kissing and moans. 

He closed his eyes and listened.

"...re you doing to them?... They're screaming!... What are those? No! No! Ah! NO! No! No! Don't touch me! Go away! Tick!! TICK!! TICK!! SUPERIAN!!!"

Then all Superian could hear was Arthur breathing. He sighed and leant back. 

"At least he wasn't kissing Tick. That's all I hear nowadays." He ran a hand through his hair and trailed it down his beard, humming. 

"I wonder if he's really in trouble?" He stood up, then shrugged. "He did call for me. I wonder what's happening."

He paused, then tuned in with Tick. 

"I miss Arthur… I love Arthur… I hope we find him… Destiny misses him… I miss him… My entire body is aching with how much I miss him…. No, YOU shut up, Underkill! Arthur is MISSING!"

Superian located where in the world Arthur was, then paused. 

"How long has he been missing?" He asked, looking it up. "Since last night? It hasn't spread that much." 

He started pacing in the air and hopped onto Twitter. 

'Have you heard? Arthur is missing! Keep an eye out for our beloved Mothman!'

He added a picture of Arthur. He posted it. He waited a few moments, refreshing and looking at the comments and likes(and dislikes) as they filled in.

Then he hopped into Instagram and posted a selfie of himself on the mountain. 

"Gonna find this mountain's name neighbour!"

Has-taags.

Post. 

Comments. Likes.

Then he flew off.


	44. Love

Tick was still sobbing. "Why are we on this mission?" He asked, sounding depressed. "Why aren't we looking for Arthur?"

"CAN YOU SHUT UP?!" Overkill yelled.

Tick paused. He stopped walking. His antennae perked up and twisted. 

"Do you hear that?" He asked. 

"What?" Dot stopped walking and looked at him. "Is it Arthur?"

Overkill stopped and looked at him, too. 

Tick looked around. "It's… it's..." He turned to look Overkill in the eyes. "it's the sound of all of the fucks I give, Overkill." He turned and started walking away. "I'm going to find Arthur!"

Dot was thoroughly shocked. She figured Tick had picked that up from Arthur at some point. 

Overkill looked just as shocked. 

Dot looked at Overkill for a moment, then back at The Tick. She followed Tick. 

"Dot!" Overkill said. 

"He knows where his heart is! I'm looking for my brother!" Dot caught up with Tick. 

"Whatever! I don't NEED you!" Overkill yelled back.

He stomped away. 

"Thank you, Dot." Tick looked at the sister of his boyfriend. 

"I'm worried for him, too, Tick." She said. "We'll find him."

Tick smiled hopefully. He hugged her. 

"Where does your heart say to go?" She asked. 

Tick looked around for a moment, then pointed to a wall. "That way!" 

He ran at the wall, full force. Dot braced herself, expecting Tick to run into a bunch of bricks, but then there was a loud crash, and Tick made a huge hole into a dark tunnel. He started running. 

Dot ran after.


	45. Fury

Tick and Dot pummeled through walls and found themselves in a room. It was decorated with a table, refrigerator, some cabinets, but it was still dark and damp. 

Dot was using her flashlight to look around. She was about to say something, when out of nowhere, Superian fell through the roof.

He was covered in dirt and quite dizzy. He pulled himself up, standing wobbly, and pointed to a door. "Tick, break it!" He yelled.

Tick ran into the door, knocking it off its hinges. 

There Arthur was. 

Laying in the bed. 

Restrained. 

Unconscious. 

Tick was boiling. He couldn't even look at Arthur. He needed to find who did it. 

Then, Superian piped up again and pointed to a corner. "There's a safe room right there!" He yelled.  

Tick ran to it and crashed into the safe room. He grabbed a woman in there and pulled her out, yeeting her into the wall across from them. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!" He hissed, marching towards the woman, who covered herself, cowering. 

"Tick! No!" She said. "He's fine!"

"There's what looks like a needle hole in his neck!" Dot said. 

Tick grabbed the woman. "I would snap you!" He said. "But I don't kill!"

"I do!" Overkill ran into the room, blades drawn. He ran to them and shoved a sword into her head. 

Tick jumped away. "Overkill--!"

"This is where all of the radiation is coming from!" He said, looking at a radiation meter on his wrist. He saw Arthur. 

"Is Arthur there?" Dangerboat asked through their walkie-talkie. 

"Yes." Overkill said. He walked over to the bed and held his hand over Arthur. "There's a lot of radiation in his body--"

"Radiation is bad!" Superian said. 

"It is?!" Tick asked. 

"Yes! Ugh!" Overkill picked Arthur up and threw him into Tick's arms. "We need to get him out NOW!"

Tick held Arthur protectively. "Don't you throw him!"

"GET HIM OUT!!" Overkill urged them to the door. 

"Let's go, everyone!" Dot was starting to get some bad premonitions in this place.

They all walked out. Superian took a selfie, then after he saw he was all alone in the room, he walked out casually, looking at his phone.


	46. Fangs

They all finally got to the surface what seemed forever later. Superian was already there, on his phone. 

Tick held Arthur in his arms. "Arthur," He whispered. "My Darling…"

Arthur shivered. Tick held him close, holding his head. 

Superian walked up to them. "Is he alright?" 

"Shut up!" Overkill said. 

"So rude…" Superian grumbled. 

"I'm going to bring him home to rest." Tick started to walk away. 

He walked home and put Arthur in his bed. 

Then he fell onto the bed, wrapped his arms around Arthur, and cried. 

When Arthur woke up, Tick was sleeping, holding him. Arthur looked at Tick affectionately. He leant in and started kissing his tear stained cheek. 

Tick opened his eyes and looked at Arthur. He stared at him for a moment, then smiled and embraced him. "Arthur!"

"Tick!" Arthur cupped Tick's cheeks and pulled him down, kissing him passionately. 

They got a little carried away, but they had missed each other so much that nothing was holding them back.

Arthur, now under Tick, wrapped his legs around his waist and stared up at him, bright-eyed, smiling. 

Tick smiled back, then frowned and kissed the corner of Arthur's cheeks. "What's that?" He asked. 

"What?"

"That." Tick kissed his lips again. 

Arthur slid his tongue over his teeth and jumped up. "Fuck! Ow!"

He could taste blood. He got out of the bed and ran into the bathroom. 

Tick got up and followed him. 

Arthur leant over the sink, opening his mouth, tilting his head. 

"Bloody!" Tick commented. 

Arthur washed his mouth out with water, then opened his mouth again. Fangs!?

Arthur was freaked out. 

"It's the mutation!" He shrieked. 

"What mutation!" Tick yelled back. 

"She said she would make me a category! She gave me fucking FANGS!"

"I'm dating a vampire!" Tick squeaked.

"N-no!" Arthur ran into the bedroom and opened the window, leaning out of it and putting himself in the light.

He didn't feel anything but warmth.  

He ran back into the bathroom. He could still see his reflection. 

Arthur calmed down. 

"Maybe it's only fangs. They're not big, haha. They're very small fangs. Sharp, but small… I could live with this."

Tick came up behind him and hugged him. "I still love you!" He said. 

"You better!" Arthur walked out of the bathroom and back to their bed. "Turn off the lights. The sun is bright enough. I don't wanna raise up the bill."

Tick looked confused. He flipped the switch. He was about to step forward, then Arthur sat up and looked at him. 

"I said turn it off."

"I did."

"You only dimmed it a little."

"I turned it off." Tick looked very confused now. 

Arthur pushed up his glasses and got out of bed. He walked over to the switch. 

"Maybe the lights aren't working…" He flipped it up and down. 

"Stop it. The lights are turning off, Arthur."

"No, they're not."

Tick put his hand over Arthur's. "We are standing in darkness."

"No we're not."

Tick looked around. "I think we are…" 

Then it hit Arthur. He could see perfectly. Tick could not. He must've had night vision.

He blinked. "Oh, you're right…" He mumbled. 

He backed away and went back onto the bed. 

Tick, still looking confused, followed him. He got onto the bed and knelt above Arthur. 

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

Arthur wrapped his arms around Tick and pulled him down. "Just be careful…" He whispered. 

Tick smiled and kissed him, then pulled away. "You're still bleeding. Ew!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Grh!" He sat up. "Fine! We'll wait until I'm not bleeding anymore!"

Tick furrowed his brows. "You're so angry. Calm down." He got up and walked into the kitchen. He came back with water. He closed the door so Destiny couldn't follow them in. He had a feeling Arthur didn't want Destiny watching them.

He sat on the bed and gave the cup to Arthur, who took it and cleaned out the blood with it. "Is that okay?" He asked, annoyed. He put the cup down.

Tick moved closer and nodded. He kissed his lips. "That's fine… For now."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "This is going to be a very bloody make out, Tick."

"I've eaten worse." Tick shuddered, thinking of the starfish. 

Arthur laughed and took Tick's shoulders, pulling him down on top of him and connecting their lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Give me a comment telling me what you thought about it! Definately my longest Tick fic! I might have another one coming up soon that'll be a lot shorter (if I don't get carried away with the fluff lol). Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed it. If you know anyone else who would like to read it, share with them. Also I have some other Tick fics on my account if you'd like to check those out. Thank you for your comments, kudos, and hits!


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